The Oak Harbor M & M Mobile Home Park situation points out the limits on what government can do to help people.

The little mobile home park next to the cemetery is being closed to make room for a mortuary and pet crematorium. The homes are falling apart, but they shelter people who otherwise may be homeless. Their problems run the gamut from health woes to inadequate job skills to substance abuse and mental health problems. Many were behind in their rent, the trailers were substandard and the park posed a public health concern. The owners decided to change its use, and it’s hard to blame them for that. Tenants complained that notice was too short. Perhaps the formal, written notice to leave came as a shock, but the fact is the tenants knew for months in advance they would have to move. Trouble is, few had anywhere else to go.

In a case like this, the city was powerless to do anything. Earlier in the year it acted positively when another mobile home park was threatened with closure by taking the lead in building more affordable housing in Oak Harbor. But the waiting list will inevitably be long and favor those with steady jobs and good credit.

For the people who are struggling, the government generally provides some medical help, food stamps and perhaps a monthly stipend, but it’s not nearly enough to cover the cost of living. When they lose their homes, there’s nothing more available. Affordable housing in Island County is minimal, unable to come close to meeting the demand. There is simply no more help available for the people at M & M Mobile Home Park. Conservatives like to say this is when private sector charities should step in, but there didn’t seem to be any church people offering a place to stay to the M & M residents.

It is tempting to force such people into government housing and require them to work for their keep. But the courts won’t let that happen. In this country, even the mentally ill have the right to be homeless. So for better or worse, there is only so much government can do to help people. An official from a local agency that helps low-income folks said the tenants’ best bet may be to turn to friend and family for help. Hopefully, they will be willing to lend a helping hand.