Invitation to the 2019 State Meeting

The 2019 annual state membership meeting will be Saturday, October 19, at the Comfort Inn in Albany. Scheduled is election of directors and updates on new and amended state laws that affect those of us who live in manufactured and floating homes and rent the space (or water) beneath them. The cost this year is $20 per person, which includes a catered lunch and some valuable drawings for gift certificates. Reservations received after October 15, however, will be $25.

If you are not a member and interested in attending, send in your $20 now to the address below by the 15th or pay $25 at the registration table. In either case, both the state secretary and the membership chair will greet you at the door and explain how you can become a member at a reduced rate. Only members are eligible for the drawings.

Coming from the north, take I-5 exit ramp for 99S/Pacific Blvd SE to Knox Butte Rd. E. Coming from the south, take I-5 exit 234 to Knox Butte Rd. E.

To register by Oct. 15, send your name(s), park name, city, and $20 to MH/OSTA, P.O. Box 24958, Eugene, OR 97402. Then we'll look for you at 10 a.m. on the 19th. 

--Jane and Deanna    

Watch for Updates on Current MH Legislation!

The Summer 2019 OSTA Quarterly Review should be in your inboxes or snail mailboxes soon if not sooner. A brief summary of the issues in the Landlord/Coalition bill now in the state legislature will be found in the "Right 2 Know" section. If the bill passes the Senate and House, as we sincerely hope it will, and the governor signs it, the statutes as amended will take effect January 1. 2020. Watch the blog to learn when that bill becomes a law, and keep your fingers crossed!

In our OSTA spotlight this issue is John VanLandingham, who has worked--slogged, actually--long hours on this Landlord/Coalition bill as well as on all others during the past 20 years. The current bill has gone through about 17 rewrites until the 100 plus people on the coalition could agree to its wording. Then it went to legislative committees and the Legislative Counsel for further edits.

Be sure to read page 3 about the heroes in Keizer that we honor for their heroism. Nancy Inglehart wrote this story which may also be written up in another publication which is available free in manufactured home parks, grocery stores, and other places. On page 15 we reprint some fire safety guidelines for manufactured homes, with #1 being sure to have a working smoke alarm detector.
One of the heroes of the story was a dog who is pictured on page 11 with his owner, who is pictured bandaged from burns suffered in the rescue operation. Page 11 also has information from our mediation columnist about service dogs. There have been a lot of questions about what a service dog is, so Nancy Gromen explains.

Also on page 1 is a short article about a bill already passed this session that sets rent caps at 7% plus CPI. On page 14 our Legal Gal, Oregon Law Center's Laurie Hauber, writes about what this bill means to you. In some parks rents have been going up as much as $100-$150 a month. That can't happen any more.

We encourage our MH/OSTA chapters to use their OSTA Reviews at chapter meetings and study the Right 2 Know section and other information so you can be knowledgeable about your rights. Your legislators will be happy to come to your park to talk to residents about their rights provided through Chapter 90 laws. Your legislators help you, so be sure to let them by telling them your concerns.

And by the way, your membership in OSTA encourages the legislators to help you. You want their help, they want your vote. If you are not a member, there is a little button at the left of your screen where it says "Subscribe." You can join MH/ OSTA with your charge card through PayPal.

Spring, 2019, OSTA Quarterly Review Coming

The Spring issue of the OSTA Quarterly Review is now out of my hands and probably already printed and ready for mailing.  Look for it soon in your mailboxes, if you get get a paper copy, or in your email inbox. Remember that sometimes your email server sends stuff to "junk," so you may find the Review there instead of in the inbox. I, of course, disagree with the email servers that consider the Review "junk."

This issue has a brief summary of the Landlord/Tenant Coalition issues, some of which may not wind up in the final bill, but I think it's very important for our readers to know what we're trying to do to help all of us who live in manufactured homes on rented land. There's a page on the "termination" issue, which asks for your opinion. It's not easy reading, but "termination" can mean the same thing as "eviction," so I urge you to read and discuss with your neighbors and let us know what you think. This affects YOU and your home, so it would be worth discussing in your park meetings. You can comment here on the blog or write a note to our P.O. box or email your district director (addresses on p. 2 of all Reviews).

I also want to encourage you to make use of mediation services. They are FREE! I also welcome you to send questions about disagreements and concerns between residents and landlords or between two residents to pass on to our new mediation columnist. You can send the questions to our P.O. box via snail mail or to our district director, or directly to me via email to forward to our mediation columnist.

We're also looking for Helping Hands grants. The whole program at this point is dependent on member donations, and since most of our members don't have extra money, we've been impressed at the generosity we've seen. The new OSTA Review will tell you that MH/OSTA has given over $13,000 to our members to help them fix up their houses and age in place. We need to find some corporate sponsors to help us out, maybe with reduced prices on building supplies if not actual cash awards. Feel free to share your ideas, as the the person you help could be yourself!     
                                                                                              --Jane, OSTA Quarterly Review editor

Step Right Up

OSTA is strong!  We have nearly 1000 members in family and 55+ parks throughout the state.

To borrow a quote from the Marines, "We are looking for a few good men".
OSTA is looking for "a few good families".

Do you have a special skill? Some extra time? Something on your mind you would like to help solve?

Do you serve on a park committee? Do you do welfare checks on your neighbors? Are you a Safe Block Home?  Do you share babysitting/child care?  Do your kids volunteer around the park?  Does your park have a Neighborhood Watch Program?  Do you do errands for your neighbors like shopping or driving to and from appointments?

Share some of your experiences.  Inspire others.

Post a comment!

Who are your Directors and What are They Up To

Meet the board in their own words.....

Helping Hands Program

OTSA is wanting to help you.  Our Helping Hands program helps OSTA member residents with home repairs so that you can age safely in place.  You can fill out an application for a grant and submit it for approval.  The grants are limited to one grant per year, not to exceed $1000 actual cost.  Of this $1000, OSTA will pay 75% of the submitted amount.  The resident is responsible for the remaining 25%. 

Please comment on this post if you are interested in applying or have any comments or questions.

Directors....Action...Camera....POST

OK Directors,

This is your spotlight:  Comment to this post with any updates, shoutouts, concerns, photos, anything you are wanting to share.......

New Year - New Dreams - Looking to the Future - GRANTS

Hello Bloggers,

The new year brings a new vision and scope for OSTA.  The newly formed Grant Search Committee has begun to search for grant opportunities to better help manufactured home owners. We have identified a number of grant categories which we could apply for and many projects that could help.  Our existing Helping Hands program focuses on home repairs that allow residents to age in place safely.

Please comment to this post with any ideas, areas of interest for possible grant ideas, and how you might volunteer to make this happen....

Nancy Inglehart, Grant Committee Chair