Gravenhurst Mayor goes to bat for trailer park mom

DOING HER BEST.. Nicole Bowser does her best to keep her mobile home in shape, but between three kids, two jobs and a 50-hour work week, she must also contend with a growing mould and rot problem that is threatening her home. She applied for the Ontario Renovates program to fix her home, but was denied as her home sits on leased land. (Photo by Louis Tam)

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Single mother of three denied grant to fix mobile home

GRAVENHURST - Gravenhurst Mayor Paisley Donaldson voiced her frustration with the district’s refusal to fund repairs for a trailer in a trailer park.
Several weeks ago this newspaper ran an article about a woman who applied to the District of Muskoka for funding to repair her trailer. The funding, which supplies up to $10,000 per family, was denied because she owns the trailer, but not the property it stands on.
Donaldson said the situation is unfortunate because there’s probably little hope that people in trailer parks will be able to afford a piece of land.
“A lot of those homes in there, all of them, are probably in need of some dire help, so it’s very unfortunate that you went that route because those trailer parks serve a huge need for the public,” she said.
Before the program was rolled out, the community services committee discussed allowing trailers to receive funding. The committee determined that it would be on a case-by-case basis.
Muskoka Lakes Coun. Ruth-Ellen Nishikawa suggested doing an outreach to the Muskoka Builders Association like the Pay It Forward program where local community members get involved in helping each other.
Heather Moore, director of programs for the district, supported the suggestion.
“We know about a huge outpouring of support from building professionals and volunteers in respect for Habitat for Humanity. I expect there might be some appetite to do the same thing in that situation,” she said.

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