Forest View residents ask Blue Island to require park owners to pay full relocation costs

Residents of Forest View Mobile Home Park urged the Blue Island City Council during public comment to require the park’s owner to cover the full cost of relocation and to provide relocation assistance within the city.

On behalf of residents, Julie, a Forest View resident who read a written statement from a tenant named Angelica, told the council: “On behalf of the residents living within Forest View Mobile Home Park, we ask that the cost of relocation is covered in full by the owners of the park, and we would like for the city to help us with this as residents of Blue Island.”

The request came as multiple speakers described evacuation notices, language barriers and what they said is insufficient financial help. A resident who said they co-wrote a community statement with “Mr. Cervantes” said the closure is displacing families and asked the council to act: “They're good, hardworking people whose lives are being drilled and their families' futures are set for demolition.” Community member Evie Gallegos described residents being turned away from other parks and the hardship moving creates, saying management’s lack of upkeep forced the relocations.

Why this matters: speakers said dozens of households and many children, elderly and disabled residents will be affected if lots and homes are closed or demolished. Speakers gave multiple, overlapping estimates of how many people and homes will be affected. The public comments referred variously to “over 50 trailers,” “more than 84 homes,” “more than 300” residents and a figure of “more than 800 people”; the speakers characterized these as approximate counts and as estimates of the population that could be impacted.

Speakers also raised specific process and language concerns. The written statement read by Julie said eviction notices were being sent only in English and asked that “All notices should be translated in both English and Spanish.” The written comment said the city had mentioned a relocation payment of $5,000 per household; speakers said that amount “is not enough to cover relocations for each resident” and cited industry examples that moving a mobile home can cost about $20,000.

There was no council vote or formal action recorded on the record during the meeting about Forest View; speakers made requests during the public comment period. No city staff response or change to the notices was recorded in the meeting transcript.

Ending: Residents asked the council to require the park owner to pay relocation costs, to provide safe relocation options within Blue Island, and to ensure notices are translated and not delivered via sheriffs or servers in a way that speakers said was frightening. The council did not make a decision on those requests on the record at this meeting.