Applause rang out throughout the Apex Town Council chambers when Senior Pastor Jose Luis of Iglesia Fiesta Cristiana started his public statement with a powerful Martin Luther King Jr. quote: “there is nothing new about poverty, however, what is new is that we have the resources to get rid of it.”
On September 24, residents, faith leaders, and neighbors came together at the Apex Town Council meeting to ask the Council to commit to non-displacement of residents in Apex’s three manufactured housing communities. Advocates packed the Council chambers, holding signs that said “protect our community” in both English and Spanish.
The three manufactured housing communities in Apex are home to an estimated 1100 residents. Despite many owning their manufactured homes, these families are at risk of displacement. Residents of Apex’s manufactured home communities do not own the land they live on. As land values rise, landowners may increase rent or decide to sell the property all together. In many cases, residents rent both the land and the mobile home from the landlord, leaving them without recourse if the community were sold and redeveloped.
Residents who live in the manufactured housing community and faith leaders who represent the Apex area made public comments in support of preserving manufactured housing communities. One resident shared that she has lived in Apex for over 20 years, over a decade of which have been in one of the manufactured housing communities. Crosspoint Community Pastor Tirzah Turner began her statement to the Town Council with a reminder that “when something effects one of us, it effects all of us.”
Faith leaders also delivered a pastoral letter of support from 14 faith organizations, who represent over 24,000 congregants in Apex, and a petition signed by over 1,000 people who live, work, or worship in Apex. These letters demonstrate the community’s unequivocal support for residents of manufactured housing communities.
Residents of these neighborhoods help to make Apex the diverse and vibrant community it is today. The strong show of support at the Apex Town Council meeting was a powerful example of a community joining together to support their neighbors in a time of need.