Community United Church of Christ (CUCC) Boulder has a big announcement: the congregation has unanimously voted to contribute $40,000 to support the residents of the San Lazaro Mobile Home Park, who are attempting to purchase their mobile park property and form a resident co-op.

Earlier this year, the owner of San Lazaro formally listed the property for sale, and the asking price is over $42 million. The residents of San Lazaro have until December to raise enough money to make a competitive counteroffer.

Because mobile home residents own their individual homes but not the park property, they are at risk of having their park sold out from under them. This risk is especially dire in Boulder County, where the cost of rent and homeownership is notoriously high. The goal of this fundraising effort is to help San Lazaro residents purchase their park and create a resident co-op in which each household has an equal vote about what happens on the property.

According to the San Lazaro website, the mobile park is home to over 800 residents and 213 households. About 70% of polled San Lazaro residents have been living in the park for 10+ years, and many of them have children enrolled in the Boulder Valley School District.

CUCC Boulder has stepped up to donate $40,000 to the residents in an effort to support affordable housing in Boulder. In a statement to the Boulder Daily Camera, CUCC Lead Pastor Rev. Nicole Lamarche had this to say about the church’s contribution: “As people of faith, we believe that it is our job collectively to ensure that everyone in Boulder has a place to live. To us, church is a verb and love calls us to action, especially in a time like this.”

To learn more about San Lazaro and to make your contribution to the residents’ buy-back effort, we encourage you to visit sanlazaroresidents.com. You can also watch the video below, which was created by the San Lazaro residents.