UNITED RESIDENTS OF EUCLID BEACH SUPPORT URA, CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR HOUSING JUSTICE
Euclid Beach Mobile Home Residents and NEOCH staff all met on Thursday, November 16th at 8:00am at the Cleveland Metroparks Board of Commissioners meeting.
The United Residents of Euclid Beach (UREB) is pleased to announce an important achievement in our campaign for housing justice for residents of the Euclid Beach Mobile Home Community. UREB has advocated for just and equitable solutions for residents who wish to leave the mobile home park and those who wish to stay. Our landlord, the Western Reserve Land Conservancy (WRLC), recently agreed to follow the requirements of the Uniform Relocation Assistance Act (URA) in providing services and assistance to residents who need to relocate to new homes. Though the displacement of people from their homes is never just, this commitment by the WRLC addresses one of our goals.
UREB has been and will continue to work with the contractors tasked with carrying out the mechanics of the URA. UREB recently hosted Realty Reimagined, the nonprofit the WRLC hired to implement the URA, at a UREB meeting to share information about what to expect in the relocation process. In fact, UREB meetings have been the only consistent, reliable space for information about the relocation process since February 2023 when the WRLC announced they would close our community. Over 90 current and former residents of Euclid Beach Mobile Home Community have been involved in our association. We deserve transparency, respect, and clear communication between all parties involved in this process.
As residents are trying to relocate, contractors demolish homes.
Conditions in the park continue to deteriorate. The WRLC remains the landlord and is responsible to maintain their property. They have not invested enough in the EBMHC. As the WRLC’s contractors demolish homes, pests are released that take up residence in and under occupied homes, all while residents wait to receive information about relocation. As the deadline for the park closure rapidly approaches and the weather changes, residents have had problems accessing relocation services.
As proud Americans, we have just as much of a right to speak and assemble as, for example, the residents of Brunswick, who protested the building of a highway interchange in their community. These rights are fundamental to American society, and we will continue to exercise them to protect and push forward our concerns. None of this has changed. We are not people who have stalled the process. We discovered evidence that suggests the plan to destroy our community was put in motion years ago by many local organizations and government officials. That doesn’t sit well with us or our neighbors and allies who sent 6,000 letters on our behalf.
UREB will continue to work to realize our other goal: the acquisition and purchase of land to support the creation of a 21st century hybrid mobile home community. Planning for this effort continues and UREB welcomes the participation of any partners who are interested in helping us make this goal a reality.
As we continue in our journey through these challenging times, we want to thank everyone who has contributed to our continued success.
A collective thank you to you all.
Join UREB on Thursday, November 16th at 8:00am at the Cleveland Metroparks Board of Commissioners meeting in the Rzepka Board Room located at 4101 Fulton Parkway, Cleveland. Several members of the United Residents of Euclid Beach will make public comments to the Board of Commissioners, and then we will host a brief press conference after the meeting.
Videos and statements from the meeting will be updated soon.
More articles about this also read:
Euclid Beach Mobile Home park’s owners using relocation plan favored by residents by SignalCleveland.org for current press around UREB
Read Open Letter from United Residents of Euclid Beach for past statements made by residents of Euclid Beach Mobile Home Park
And read Letter reveals early plans to close Euclid Beach mobile home park for a breakdown of the Euclid Beach Mobile Home Park relocation situation