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NAMPA, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho city is asking dozens of residents to leave their homes because their landlord is unable to provide running water.
Residents of Rushmore Mobile Home Park have seven days to move, Nampa Building Department Director Patrick Sullivan said.
"We take life for granted, we take our blessings for granted," resident Lisa Brandon told KIVI-TV (http://bit.ly/1RP4YHJ). "And when they are taken away you really don't understand the impact until it's taken away."
Landlord Dave Levitt said he cannot afford to connect to Nampa's water, but the septic system is too old and needs to be replaced. He said trailer park residents have been living with only one hour of running water a day since late February.
Nampa spokeswoman Vickie Holbrook said landlords are responsible for providing running water. She said the city will give the affected people a list of resources, including places to live for free during the transition.
Eleven of the 17 tenants own their trailers but can't afford to move them. Many are families with small children.
"It's too much money and I don't have this money," said resident Raquelina Santoyo, a single mother of two, not sure of her next move. "Go live under the bridge," she said.
Those homes could be a complete loss.
"When you view it out here it doesn't look like much, in fact it looks like nothing. But this is our home," Lisa Brandon said.
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Information from: Idaho Press-Tribune, http://www.idahopress.com
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