Delaware State News | by Newsroom Staff
DOVER — Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced Monday that manufactured-home owners in disputes with their community owners will be eligible for free legal representation by the nonprofit Delaware Community Legal Aid Society Inc. under a contract it entered with the Delaware Department of Justice.
The contract is made possible by a dedicated attorney fund established by the General Assembly and funded by a 50-cent portion of an existing monthly assessment paid by manufactured-home owners. The contract provides for quality legal representation to those homeowners in manufactured-housing communities, while also including the resources necessary for CLASI to expand eligibility and client capacity.
“Constituents in all three counties have called for this kind of resource for years,” Ms. Jennings said in a statement. “This is a hard-fought victory for the more than 20,000 home owners in Delaware’s manufactured home communities, many of whom live on fixed incomes and feel trapped by economic circumstance, even when the law is on their side. This agreement makes the system more fair and equal and brings justice within reach for people who simply want a fair deal. I’m excited about this partnership and I’m grateful to everyone in the DOJ, at CLASI, and in the General Assembly who made it possible.”
The contract specifically covers homeowner-community owner disputes in communities governed by the Manufactured Home Owners and Community Owners Act. The DOJ does not participate in CLASI’s representation of clients but will monitor the contract to ensure that the statute’s goals are met.
Eligible homeowners seeking representation can find more information at declasi.org or by calling CLASI at 575-0660 in New Castle County, 674-8500 in Kent County or 856-0038 in Sussex County.
Additional information about manufactured housing is available through the DOJ’s manufactured-housing ombudsperson at 577-5035 or de.gov/mho.