2008 Woodie Awards
Forest Park residents face "ongoing battle"
Stephen Rivard
Issue date: 10/6/06 Section: News
Krystalynne Morris is not happy. As a single mother raising two teenagers, it was already hard enough to find the time to do everything. Then she was forced to move to a new apartment near the end of the spring semester. But that was only the beginning of Morris' troubles. Along with the move came the demolition of the community center, the rise in rent, the lack of laundry facilities, and the never-ending noise of the construction across the street. All of this was happening while she was trying to finish college.
It definitely has not been easy for Morris or any of the other tenants of Forest Park who were asked to move last spring so the university could demolish their homes and build undergraduate dorms. It has been nothing but an ongoing battle for the residents of Forest Park to try to maintain the lifestyle they once had and to survive in an ever-changing environment. Morris is one of the unfortunate few.
"I'm disgusted," she said when asked what she thought of the ordeal. Like many others, she signed a lease with the Department of Housing knowing she would have to move, but she says that she did not plan to move as soon as she did. "When I signed my lease, it had a certain time frame for moving out. UNH changed that," she said. The university was also supposed to help with the costs of the move, says Morris, but that was changed as well. "They weren't going to pay for moving," she said. "I'm a single mother. It's hard to move with no allowance for moving and poor timing."
Laurie Milne, another single mother and advocate for Forest Park, is outraged by what the university is doing. After being asked to move once so the university could install a sprinkler system, she is now facing the possibility of eviction because she can no longer afford her rent. Milne explained the struggle that many families such as hers are facing.
"Rents have increased, tuition has increased, financial aid decreased, and stipends have stayed pretty level. Now picture a family of four with $1,200 per month income stipend, minus $890 in rent. That's $300 a month to live on! Food, clothes, medical, etcetera…that is what the families are dealing with financially. Now add school and parenting, and in many cases, no ability to get extra work because of the visa rules," Milne said.
It definitely has not been easy for Morris or any of the other tenants of Forest Park who were asked to move last spring so the university could demolish their homes and build undergraduate dorms. It has been nothing but an ongoing battle for the residents of Forest Park to try to maintain the lifestyle they once had and to survive in an ever-changing environment. Morris is one of the unfortunate few.
"I'm disgusted," she said when asked what she thought of the ordeal. Like many others, she signed a lease with the Department of Housing knowing she would have to move, but she says that she did not plan to move as soon as she did. "When I signed my lease, it had a certain time frame for moving out. UNH changed that," she said. The university was also supposed to help with the costs of the move, says Morris, but that was changed as well. "They weren't going to pay for moving," she said. "I'm a single mother. It's hard to move with no allowance for moving and poor timing."
Laurie Milne, another single mother and advocate for Forest Park, is outraged by what the university is doing. After being asked to move once so the university could install a sprinkler system, she is now facing the possibility of eviction because she can no longer afford her rent. Milne explained the struggle that many families such as hers are facing.
"Rents have increased, tuition has increased, financial aid decreased, and stipends have stayed pretty level. Now picture a family of four with $1,200 per month income stipend, minus $890 in rent. That's $300 a month to live on! Food, clothes, medical, etcetera…that is what the families are dealing with financially. Now add school and parenting, and in many cases, no ability to get extra work because of the visa rules," Milne said.
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