Assistance pledged to Poulsbo Mobile Home Park repairs now dedicated to rent relief

North Kitsap Fishline plans to refocus $30,000 initially intended for property improvements at Poulsbo Mobile Home Park toward rent relief for individual households.

Just more than a week after a community meeting that was set up to discuss the distribution of funds for home repairs and ease fears of eviction for residents at the park, North Kitsap Fishline announced the assistance will be used to reduce July rent payments.

The May 18 meeting, which followed a Poulsbo City Council vote to allocate $15,000 in city funds to help residents with physical repairs, revealed not all park residents had received inspection reports from park management that outlined needed property upgrades. That left some residents, many of whom are Spanish-speaking, unaware of whether the California-based company that owns the park would require work on their properties, leading Fishline to delay the distribution of funds. At that meeting 37 households signed up to express interest in receiving assistance from Fishline, and the ownership group acknowledged that inspections and letters to tenants had been paused the month before.

Read more: Poulsbo will spend $15k to help residents of mobile home park with property upgrades

Now, in an attempt to help the largest number of households, Fishline plans to provide residents in need with $500 toward their July rent payments, sent directly to the landlord, according to the organization's leader.

“After reflecting on it, we felt the most equitable way to do this was to give everyone … an equal opportunity to get $500 towards (rent),” Fishline Executive Director Charlie Thompson said. “Then, that money they would normally spend on rent could be used to help with their repairs and upgrades to their home.”

Fishline case managers will be at the Poulsbo Seventh-day Adventist Church on Wednesday and Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m. to assist park residents in applying for assistance. If residents are unavailable during those times, Thompson said they should contact Fishline directly.

After the rent relief is distributed, the remaining money from the initial pledge of $30,000 — including $15,000 from Fishline and $15,000 from a City of Poulsbo fund dedicated to affordable housing — will remain dedicated to Poulsbo Mobile Home Park, Thompson explained, with that distribution undecided.

“We intend to invest the full $30,000 into the community, we just have to see how much goes in this first round before we determine what to do with a potential second round,” he said.

Volunteer work parties to assist with home repairs are under discussion. The city and L.O.C.O.S., a local nonprofit organization, have scheduled a community-building event that will be held June 3 at the park, located just north of Lincoln Road, off Caldart Avenue. According to an announcement, L.O.C.O.S. aims to use food and art to celebrate both culture and community.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Poulsbo Mobile Home Park residents to receive rent relief