Arbor Victory

​In August of 2015 St. Charles partnered with Living Cully with the Goal of stopping the gentrification of the Cully neighborhood.  We decided that our efforts would have the greatest impact if we focused on preserving the neighborhood mobile home parks. 
 12 months later, through the efforts of parishioners at St. Charles, and many many others, St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County was able to buy the Oak Leaf!  30 homes in Cully were successfully preserved as permanently low-income housing.  St. Charles and Living Cully then turned their attention toward the Arbor, a mobile home park on Killingsworth and 64th with nearly 130 homes, including many that belonged to St. Charles parishioners.

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​The Kingdom of God is built, in part, on seeing ourselves as God sees us.  Thus, we set out to empower residents with a since of dignity and self-worth.  We created a home repair program, so residents could practice working together toward shared goals while at the same time raise the living conditions of their families and neighbors.  So, when the owners pushed a contract of 15 years of rent increases, St. Charles parishioners and residents already knew how to create a plan and carry it out together.  We held meetings, gathered partners, canvased the park 4 times, and built a lawsuit against the owners of the park, who we believed, had for years violated landlord/tenant and fair housing laws. We had faith that we would be successful in stopping the rent increases.  Our efforts bore fruit, the owners decided that they were not interested in owning a park where residents were organized and empowered.  Now, 2 years after the Oak Leaf victory, St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County has signed a purchase agreement to buy the Arbor Mobile Home Park.  Further, St. Vincente de Paul plans to work with the residents to create a path toward resident ownership of the Arbor!
A big thank you to all our parishioners and all those from the Interfaith Alliance on Poverty and other community groups who helped in this effort!  An extra big thank you to St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County for your faith and courage, you are light on the hill for all Catholics in Oregon.