Manufactured homes meant for fire victims at Royal Oaks Mobile Manor in Phoenix have been declared unsafe for human habitation.

Homes built for a project north of Phoenix to house Almeda Fire survivors and that were declared uninhabitable will be rebuilt.

Oregon Housing and Community Services, which contracted to have the modular units built, explained its plans at a public meeting Wednesday night.

Local contractors will be used to perform the rebuild work, and an inspection team will be created to make sure the homes meet standards before they are occupied in the Royal Oaks Mobile Manor, which burned in the Sept. 8, 2020, fire but is nearly rebuilt.

Agency officials said they could not give a timeline on when units might be occupied. Before the problems were revealed, occupancy had been scheduled to begin this fall.

“We will take it down to the studs if that’s what needs to be done,” Andrea Bell, executive director of OHCS, told the audience. “We are aware it has been far too long. We were equally dismayed to learn that the houses purchased for you did not meet health and safety standards.”

OHCS contracted with Nashua Homes of Idaho Inc. in early 2021 to build 140 modular units to assist survivors of the Labor Day fires, including Almeda, that struck Oregon. Units began to be delivered locally in 2022, and there were 66 located at Royal Oaks by June this year.

Pull Quote

“We will take it down to the studs if that’s what needs to be done. We are aware it has been far too long. We were equally dismayed to learn that the houses purchased for you did not meet health and safety standards.”

— Andrea Bell, executive director of Oregon Housing and Community Services

Jackson County Housing Authority is rehabilitating the 21-acre Royal Oaks site, located just north of Phoenix, to accommodate 118 of the modulars. ACCESS is handling the applications and screening process for future residents who will own the homes.

About 50 people attended the Wednesday session held at The Merrick, formerly the Inn at the Commons in Medford. Judging from questions, many were former resident of Royal Oaks.

Individuals voiced disappointment about the delay due to the substandard units, but also expressed frustration with the processes to rehouse fire survivors.

Two strategies are being used to remedy the situation, said OHCS Deputy Director Caleb Yant.

The first is to rebuild the defective units. The second is to seek compensation from the builder. The state’s attorney general and the Oregon Department of Justice will be involved in the latter efforts, he said.

Yant gave a timeline on the project to date. When the first 30 units arrived in Medford in March 2022, some issues that would need repair were recognized. When more units arrived this spring, concerns increased.

OHCS had a team, including local and state building officials, check for problems as a unit was deconstructed. A total of 20 building code violations were found in the one unit, Yant said. In addition, building specifications were not met, some of which led to water entering the modular homes.

“We are committed to local contractors doing the rebuilds. We see that as the most efficient path to getting residents in,” Yant said. Repair work has not begun as the agency works to first assemble a team of inspectors, which will include a forensic building specialist.

“I don’t want to give a date … until I can ensure a process,” Yant replied when asked by an audience member when they might be able to move in. Cost per unit under the $24 million contract, including transportation, has come to $181,000.

Former Royal Oaks resident Mary Martin, who has applied to get a home, said she was glad the agency decided to go ahead with rebuilding rather than waiting for litigation. Martin is living in an apartment.

“I had a home, and I didn’t have to worry about where I was going to live,” said Martin. “I thought I’d die there.”

HAJC received $6 million from OHCS to purchase the site. It expected to use at least $5 million more for renovation. By October, 90% of the site work should be finished, said Jason Elzy, HAJC executive director. The remaining work includes landscaping, which could be damaged during the rebuild process.

As landlord of the property, HAJC will be asking questions and checking to make sure the units are safe to be occupied, said Elzy.

ACCESS has paused all processing of applications, said Joe Vollmer, ACCESS housing director.

The agency had been screening applications submitted by 44 former residents of the park who had been given the first opportunity to get a home. A second phase, open to any fire survivor, was looking at 100 applications drawn in a lottery. Those individuals had been notified of their selection.

“Nobody is losing their spot,” Vollmer said. The agency will wait until it gets a project time frame before it resumes screening.

The units could be available for little or no costs in many cases. ACCESS will look at other fire-related aid that applicants have received to determine how much they might pay for a home.

The aid could include insurance payments, assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency or other help. Prior to the evening session, OHCS officials met with representatives of local organizations helping survivors to discuss the project and rebuild.

“Today was a very open conversation. They realized there was a lot of hurt,” said Virginia Camberos, Rogue Valley regional director of Unite Oregon. “They are taking action for what is wrong and doing the right thing. They are taking accountability.”