Search Results

News & Media We are proud of the work our team and volunteers do. The following publications have covered our efforts to increase access to justice and legal representation for marginalized, underserved, low-income individuals in Colorado. ​ For media inquiries, please email contact@copovertylawproject.org Mobile Home Park Residents Granted Rent Victory After having their mobile home park sold, rent rates hiked 70% and a series of frustrations such as water supply interruptions, residents of a local mobile home park north of Gunnison took legal action against their new owners and last week secured an initial victory in the case. Gunnison District Court granted the residents of Ski Town Village mobile home park, formerly named Country Meadows, a preliminary injunction request to prevent the rent increase until the lawsuit is settled. Full text can be found here Rental scams are trickier than ever in Colorado’s housing crunch In one of Denver’s most desirable neighborhoods, the Lower Highlands, 40-year-old Jessica Puzio was home when she heard a knock at her front door last fall. The elderly couple on her doorstep wanted to see the duplex rental they found on Craigslist at her address. “I had no idea what they were talking about,” Puzio said. The couple told Puzio they found her 750-square-foot, one-bedroom, one-bath house listed for about $1,000 less than typical rents in the area. This was the first time someone mistook her house for a rental from an online listing — the first of many. Full text can be found here Evictions spiking as assistance, protections disappear Jada Riley thought she had beaten homelessness. The 26-year-old New Orleans resident was finally making a steady income cleaning houses during the pandemic to afford a $700-a-month, one-bedroom apartment. But she lost nearly all her clients after Hurricane Ida hit last year. Then she was fired from a grocery store job in February after taking time off to help a relative. Full text can be found here Colorado tried to protect people who live in mobile home parks. A Gunnison community fell through the cracks. The new owner of the renamed Ski Town Village hasn’t filled the potholes, cut the trees that threaten to fall on homes, or fixed the spotty water supply. But he has raised rents by 73%. Full text can be found here Zornio: Colorado renters need better protections and more enforcement The Marshall fire underscores the need for stronger efforts toward fair, safe and equitable housing. It's best for landlords and tenants alike. Full text can be found here What State Leaders & Community Advocates Are Saying about New Laws Making Communities More Affordable, Expanding Access to Critical Behavioral Health Support Today, in Fort Collins, Boulder, and Greeley, Governor Jared Polis joined bill sponsors and community leaders in housing, and behavioral health care providers to sign legislation saving Coloradans money on housing and critical behavioral health support, while cutting red tape to ensure Coloradans continue to receive high-quality, efficient services. Full text can be found here Investors are Buying Mobile Home Parks. Residents are Paying a Price. Across the country, corporate landlords are expanding manufactured housing portfolios and driving up rents, pushing longtime residents out. Full text can be found here Tenants at Clarkson Lodge given an extension to move out; Colorado Poverty Law Project steps in Relief came just before the eleventh hour for tenants at the Clarkson Lodge, many of whom had been preparing to move out with short notice. On Feb. 28, renters at the Clarkson Lodge told Denver7 they'd been informed the building was sold, and they'd have to be moved out by March 14. The Lodge is a boarding house in Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood. Full text can be found here Can Colorado Keep Mobile Home Affordable? Heather Malone holds her daughter Caoimhe, 4, outside their home in the Golden Hills Park for Mobile Homes in Golden on March 9, 2022. Heather and her family have lived at Golden Hills for almost a decade. Colorado lawmakers recently introduced a bill that would add greater protections to mobile home residents throughout the state. The biggest piece of the proposed bill is rent stabilization, which would cap how much mobile home park owners could increase rent per year. Malone, who has three children, is worried that another rent hike would force them out of Golden altogether. Her rent went from $550 per month to $796. Full text can be found here Colorado Is One of the Worst States for Renters, but Is It Getting Better? “Colorado is one of the worst states in the country for renters,” state Representative Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez pronounced during a legislative hearing this past session. “This was a problem before COVID, but the pandemic has made this problem worse and brought them into the spotlight." In a November survey, ServiceMaster focused on tenant and landlord relationships in every state. It reported that more than half — 57 percent — of renters in Colorado believe that landlord-tenant laws are stacked against them. Full text can be found here These Colorado mobile home residents tried twice to buy their park. Will the third time be the charm? When Ken Erwin first heard about efforts this past summer among his fellow homeowners to purchase their Golden mobile home park, he counted himself skeptical. Golden Hills’ new cooperative members weren’t business people, he thought. They don’t know how to run a park. After the park’s owners rebuffed the residents twice in their attempt to buy Golden Hills, they ended up selling to Harmony Communities, a California-based corporation that operates 33 parks across the western U.S. Erwin, who managed Golden Hills under its previous owner for more than two decades, thought Harmony would be solid owners, a company that billed itself as “family oriented,” he said. Full text can be found here Veteran Housing Bill Veterans and service members, who have sacrificed so much for the wellbeing of their country, should not be denied housing because a landlord harbors unfounded prejudices. Colorado Poverty Law Project is excited to work with Representative Ortiz on legislation in 2022 to ensure that this doesn't happen in Colorado. Read our full press release here and please contact us at jack@copovertylawproject.org if you would like to lend support Full text can be found here

Mobile Home Park Initiative Mobile home communities have been recognized as one of the best options for affordable housing in Colorado. They serve a large percentage of Spanish-speaking, disabled, and undocumented individuals and families. These residents are unfortunately experiencing the dual impact of two significant societal factors: 1) the sale of land to wealthy interests, resulting in the elimination of many of these communities; and 2) the economic fall-out from COVID-19. CPLP's Mobile Home Initiative seeks to assist mobile homeowners and tenants by educating mobile home residents about their rights under the Mobile Home Park Act and its amendments; by training volunteer attorneys on how to assist community members, including through the use of the State's new dispute resolution procedure; and by facilitating pro bono representation of mobile home residents. CPLP believes that this is a first of its kind initiative aimed specifically at assisting mobile home residents. We have coordinated with several organizations to provide support to these residents, including Adams County and 9to5 Colorado. ​ If you need assistance with a mobile home-related issue, please: Contact us by emailing contact@copovertylawproject.org Attend our legal clinic at Stout Street Health Center, on the third Wednesday of each month from 4:00-6:00 p.m. Fill out our online intake form ​ Intake Form Form. en español

Denver County Court In-Person Clinic Have a legal question about an eviction case? Chat with a tenant attorney from 8am - 12pm in Room 103 of the Denver Courthouse! No RSVP required.

Upcoming Events Denver County Court In-person Clinic Have a legal question about an eviction case? Chat with a tenant attorney! Continuing Legal Education (CLE) on Housing Law Topics Free trainings for attorneys interested in volunteering and others who wish to attend Offered quarterly “Know-Your-Rights” Trainings Community trainings for tenants and mobile home owners on their housing rights Offered in partnership with community groups. Contact us to request a training. Event Calendar Please check the event to determine whether it is in person or virtual. Some events will have a hybrid option. No upcoming events at the moment

Know Your Rights for Mobile Home Park Residents ​

Know Your Rights/ Conozca sus derechos Dispute Resolution SI eres inquilin@ o propietari@ de una casa móvil en Colorado -- no importan tus ingresos, tu idioma o tu estatus migratorio -- TIENES DERECHOS. Únete a las organizaciones locales Fuerza Latina y El Centro La Familia para una presentación experta con abogados del Colorado Poverty Law Project.

We Believe Justice and housing are fundamental. The Colorado Poverty Law Project (CPLP) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission to recruit and coordinate volunteer attorneys to provide pro bono legal assistance or representation. Read About the Project Read About the Project Welcome to the Colorado Poverty Law Project The Colorado Poverty Law Project (CPLP) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with the mission to recruit and coordinate volunteer attorneys to provide pro bono legal assistance or representation. Visit our Dedicated COVID-19 Resources Page Go resources COVID-19 We Believe Justice and housing are fundamental. Read About the Project Events See More No upcoming events at the moment “There are few emotions more debilitating than the feeling of injustice. While injustice used to be remedied by walking into the elders’ tents, today our courts are reserved for the wealthy. Our mission is important because we are working to restore the opportunity for justice to everyone.” - Tom Snyder Read About the Project Our Partners We could not do it without the help of the dedicated people in these organizations! Partner with CPLP

Know Your Housing Rights – Mobile Home Park Act General Overview with Jefferson County Public Library Join us in collaboration with the Jefferson County Public Library for an overview of specific tenant rights and landlord obligations for mobile home park residents.