KANSAS CITY, Mo. — While most of the families at Heart Mobile Village on Highway 40 have been relocated to make way for a new detention center, a handful are still struggling to find a new place to call home.
The families who remain own their trailers.
One of them has been outfitted to accommodate the needs of its homeowner who suffered a stroke more than four years ago.
She's afraid of going public because of her immigration status, but told KSHB 41 News the ordeal she's faced ever since Jackson County bought the site last summer to build a new jail.
"They never take a chance to actually sit down with me and ask me about my needs and my situation," the resident said.
She says her inability to drive and being unemployed makes it tough to search for another home.
"I'm just barely surviving from friends and family," she said. "Every week is a challenge for me, just finding some money for groceries."
She adds the county has allegedly threaten to evict her if she doesn't move out by the end of the month and cut her out of the financial assistance that they've offered residents.
"They told me if you don't leave by the 28th I automatically lose the money," she said.
A spokesperson for Jackson County said they couldn't talk about specific cases but provided this statement to KSHB 41 News:
“Since September 2021, Community Services League staff, working collaboratively with Jackson County staff, have helped 99 of the 106 families at Heart Mobile Village find new, permanent housing. Many families have used their relocation assistance as down payment assistance on a home they’ve purchased, or they’ve prepaid 2-3 years’ worth of rent at a new dwelling. For the remaining seven families at Heart Mobile Village, CSL and the County continue working to overcome any remaining barriers and help them find permanent housing.”
But this homeowner fears they won't fulfill their promise.
"And this is my question for them — What would they do if some somebody in their family has the same problem that I'm having right now?" she said.
