| People of Hope |
In 2001, residents of the Garden Springs Mobile Home Park in Athens were informed that the park had been sold and they must move. Prior to this time, the landlord had sold many of the very old mobile homes to the residents, but many of those units were too old to move. The residents, many of whom were very low income, were about to lose their homes. The residents did not give up, however. They banded together, and with the support of the larger community, including Covenant Presbyterian Church, first fought the eviction and, when that was unsuccessful, formed the People of Hope, a non-profit organization dedicated to developing their own resident-owned mobile home park. Covenant and many other local churches, organizations, and individuals partnered with the People of Hope to help families move their homes to temporary locations, raise funds for the new park, and develop the skills needed to run their mobile home park. After eight years, their dream is about to become a reality. They have purchased land, secured the funding and permits to build their 40-home resident-owned mobile home park, and have established a community center on the site. Plans to complete the park are being finalized.