Last August, Oregon Housing and Community Services said they would renovate 118 homes that were found to be defective. Now, they’re going to completely replace all the homes instead at an unknown cost.
About three years ago, the state purchased 140 modular homes for about $26 million. Most of those were meant for the Royal Oaks Mobile Manor, which was destroyed in the 2020 Almeda Fire. The project broke ground in November 2022 and planned to house 118 families, prioritizing those who lost their homes in the fire.
But families’ move-in was delayed when they were suddenly told the homes were unfit to live in. There are unresolved questions about why the homes had defects, which included leaking water, mold and code issues.
According to an OHCS spokesperson, the agency will provide the funding to replace all the homes, and the Housing Authority of Jackson County will manage the purchase.
"OHCS and the Housing Authority of Jackson County have been working hard to find a solution that meets all our shared commitments for the Royal Oaks project, most importantly having healthy and safe homes for residents," reads a statement provided by OHCS on Wednesday. "When we last updated the community, we were developing plans to rebuild/rehabilitate the units. The planned approach was based on advice from OHCS’ consultants and informed by industry-standard best practices. After reviewing with local partners, they felt this approach would not fully reassure community members or set up the project for long-term success."
This proposal still has to be approved by the organizations’ respective boards. OHCS expects that approval in the next 45-60 days.
Some fire victims have been living in transitional housing for over three years, and this change only prolongs the creation of permanent housing.
OHCS says they don’t yet have a timeline for when families will be able to move in or the specific source of the funding.
