Fresno has a $1M fund for mobile home repairs. Why are only 2 projects done?
The city of Fresno recently approved a $1 million budget to repair dilapidated mobile homes across its 27 mobile parks. But since the program relaunched in April 2024, it has only received nine applications for repairs, of which six have been approved and just two have been completed, according to the city.
Galvia Juarez, a resident of the Villa Fresno mobile home park in west Fresno, applied for a repair when the program first launched in June 2023. However, she later found out she didn’t qualify because her trailer was built in 1977, and the program only covers homes built after 1980.
“It would be great if that date could be reconsidered,” Juarez said. “A lot of my neighbors are in the same position as me. They don’t qualify because their home was built before 1980.”
As of 2023, Fresno had 3,823 mobile homes. Despite a clear need and a $1 million investment from the city, Fresno’s Mobile Home Repair Program has seen limited participation since its relaunch in April 2024.
The cost of the program’s two completed repairs is unclear. The city did not immediately respond to inquiries.
Strict eligibility requirements, particularly a rule excluding homes built before 1980, have left out many longtime residents like Juarez, whose aging homes are often in the worst shape.
Juarez told The Bee that her trailer needs major structural repairs, including fixing her damaged roof and replacing the floors in the hallway and the area around her water heater. Her plumbing is old and leaking, with yellow water coming out of the pipes. Several of her windows are broken, and her air conditioning system doesn’t work properly, leading to higher energy bills. Animal infestations from a nearby vacant lot have caused additional damage to water pipes underneath her trailer.
“It’s difficult for us to think about what’s happening to our home. We bought this place with so much hope for our future. We never thought we’d go through all of these kinds of problems,” Juarez said.
Juarez said the estimated cost for all the necessary repairs is about $80,000. She and her husband bought the trailer for about $22,000 in 2017.
Fresno mobile home repair program’s requirements limit eligibility
Fresno’s Mobile Home Repair Grant Program offers up to $60,000 to help low-income mobile homeowners make essential repairs. Covered repairs include many of the issues Juarez faces, such as energy-efficiency upgrades, roof and electrical work, exterior painting, new flooring, doors, windows, water heater replacement and accessibility improvements.
To qualify for the program, households need to have a gross income below $56,340, which is 60% of Fresno County’s current median income. Applicants have to live in and own the mobile home they’re applying for.
The mobile home must also have a decal number and be built in or after 1980.
“If we see that the date of when the mobile home was built is the biggest challenge for residents to qualify for this program, we can look at funding through local sources like our housing trust fund,” said Fresno city council member Miguel Arias.
For now, however, Arias said the funding available for the city’s mobile home repair program is tied to a federal requirement that only allows mobile homes built after 1980 to qualify.
Arias said the city launched the program in response to advocates’ concerns over the deteriorating conditions in parks like La Hacienda Mobile Estates in Fresno. In 2021, multiple fires at La Hacienda — including one that was fatal — revealed serious safety issues and the park’s expired operating license.
Many Fresno mobile home owners unaware of city fund
Even though the mobile home repair program is now up and running, some mobile home park residents said they hadn’t heard of it.
“We didn’t know there was a program that does mobile home repairs,” said Diana Vieira, a resident at Park View Mobile Home Park in west Fresno, who lives with her dad. “We live in a 2007 fifth wheel RV and we definitely have a lot we need to get done. We need to fix the breaker boxes inside the tires, the water heater pump and the filters for our shower, which would fix the water pressure.”
Vieira said they’ve needed those repairs for about a year, but they’re too expensive for the family to fix.
“For showers, we fill a container and manually heat the water,” she said. “Without a working water heater, we can’t use our propane system, heater and get hot water.”
Russell Harper, a long time resident of Woodward Bluffs Mobile Home Estates in northeast Fresno, said he also hadn’t heard of the city’s repair program. He bought his mobile home for $18,000.
“We need new windows and we also need to redo the structure of our roof because we do have leaks, so this program would be great,” he said. “Also our kitchen sink gets backed up every so often we need to plunge it, so our plumbing also needs to be redone.”
Harper, however, said his home likely doesn’t qualify for the city’s program because he believes it was built in the 1970s.
“I think if the word got out more to other mobile home residents, this program would do well,” he said.
Arias said part of the problem is the city has never before invested in mobile home park preservation — but the other part is simply getting the word out.
“I think the city needs to do a much better job of promoting the availability of this resource and publicizing the criteria for folks that are eligible,” he said. “Sometimes people believe this is going to go to the park owner when it’s really meant for the mobile home owner.”
Arias said that his office would be working to put together workshops at mobile home parks for residents interested in applying for the repair program. He also said he plans to continue championing efforts to secure future funding for the program.
“My commitment to the residents of mobile home parks is to ensure the quality of life in their parks and improve it,” Arias said. “I think preservation of mobile homes is one of the most cost effective strategies for the city to preserve affordable housing and reduce homelessness in our community.”
This story was originally published July 7, 2025 at 1:36 PM.
