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JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. — The hopes and dreams of 77 families whose lives were destroyed in the 2020 wildfires are being rebuilt with the reconstruction of the Talent mobile park.
The families will take occupation of their newly constructed homes by early Fall when they can also choose to become proud members of a newly formed owners cooperative.
First Owners Cooperative to be Formed in the Rogue Valley
The official groundbreaking of the first owners’ cooperative housing estate in the Rogue Valley took place last weekend when several families who were torn apart by the Almeda Fire were reunited at an emotional ceremony. Before the wildfires, about 100 households lived in a close-knit community at the Talent Mobile Estate. The Almeda Fire, however, scattered their dreams and their families.
Apart from 10 homes that survived the consuming flames, the Talent Mobile Park stood dormant for more than three years until workers recently moved on site to begin erecting the new homes funded by a state loan.
The owners’ cooperative has been established by Erica Ledesma who co-founded the nonprofit, Coalition Fortaleza. Ledesma is excited that the cooperative will give residents the opportunity to have a say in how the mobile park estate is administered.
Residents can choose whether to join the cooperative but, as Ledesma points out, opting in will offer several benefits, such as a say in the operation of the estate and a lower rental rate. Rentals will be in the region of $700 a month to cover a state loan and a management company fee for overseeing utilities, maintenance, and landscaping. Another probability, says Ledesma, is that rentals can decrease over time as the loan amount is repaid.
Alma Rico is a resident of the estate who owns one of the original 10 homes that remained standing after the Almeda Fire. She is looking forward to welcoming her father back into the community. Rico says the new mobile park will give residents a chance to rebuild their lives.
See also: Southern Oregon Defective Homes For Wildfire Survivors To Be Replaced, Not Rebuilt
Overview
The Almeda Fire destroyed or severely damaged 1,356 buildings in Talent and covered 12 square miles – about half the area of Cleveland, Ohio. A total of 700 residential homes were destroyed.
On September 8, 2020, residents of Talent watched in horror as devastating flames swallowed their small town in Jackson County, south of Medford. Talent and Phoenix were the hardest hit by the wildfires which claimed nine lives.
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