BROOKINGS — The impending sale of Shady Acres Mobile Home Park in Brookings means tenants must vacate their residences before April 1 — but they aren’t being left high and dry thanks to assistance provided by the Brookings Pathways Program.

Created last year with Shady Acres concerns in mind, a maximum of $350,000 in funding was allocated via a City Council vote in May. It was hoped the Pathways money would never have to be used. Well, that’s no longer the case, at least partially: Of the overall total, $180,000 was specified for three uses:

• $100,000 for rental assistance
• $65,000 for a dedicated case manager from Inter-Lakes Community Action Partnership
• $15,000 administrative fee to facilitate the program

The remaining $170,000 was specified for mitigating Shady Acres, which is on Western Avenue, if it came to that. It didn’t, as a private company is in the process of buying the land the mobile home court sits on from owners Terry and Ellen Schwenk.

City Manager Assistant Samantha Beckman, who oversees the Pathways program, told the Brookings Register that 16 households have contacted ICAP to utilize Pathways assistance. ICAP is administering the program.

Jamie Kessler, the rural community services director and housing coordinator for Madison-based ICAP, noted that the assistance ranges from security deposits to rental assistance to moving assistance.

“Every household is a case-by-case situation,” she said.

Kessler said several Shady Acres tenants are still looking for housing in the Brookings area, and that ICAP’s community service worker in the Brookings area is in contact with the Schwenks, working with them to ensure that households know assistance is available.

“I would encourage them to reach out to Sarah (Stertz) in our Brookings office,” Kessler said. Stertz’s number is 605-692-6391, then press 4. “She’s there to help support them and finding affordable housing, so that way it’s long-term so they can stay within the city of Brookings.”

Beckman said Shady Acres is a one-of-a-kind situation for the city.

“This is a unique case where the entire mobile home court required action,” she wrote in emails to the Brookings Register. “Therefore, this is a one-time occurrence. With that said, the (City) Council annually funds social service agencies that provide rental assistance and other services.”

Beckman was responding to question about if city plans to provide financial help to mobile home residents who, in the future, might face the loss of their residences due to demolition and/or redevelopment. And while that’s a hypothetical, the Pathways program is a response to a very real here-and-now concern with several immediate goals:

• Prevent homelessness for families displaced from the Shady Acres mobile home park
• Provide financial assistance for housing-related expenses
• Offer personalized case management to address barriers to self-sufficiency

Beckman said that, so far, dollar totals for help have ranged from $200 to $4,800. There are some requirements, though, for those seeking rental assistance: Those households will need to take part in ICAP’s case management services.

Kessler provided more specifics regarding rental assistance, noting that a portion of the dollar total is provided on a monthly basis for up to a year. Using the $4,800 as an example, the household would receive $400 per month for up to 12 months.

The funds are never given out as a lump sum, Kessler further noted. So, if 30% of a tenant’s income is $600, but their rent is $900, the tenant would pay the $600 while the Pathways program would assist with the remaining $300 — as long as the tenant is participating in ICAP’s case management program.

Providing help to people in need is undeniably a moral and good thing to do, but it’s also undeniable that it, too, comes at a cost to Brookings taxpayers — in this case, up to $180,000. The Schwenks, however, don’t have to worry about the city coming after them.

“No, we’re not seeking compensation for these services,” Beckman wrote.

The Brookings Register reached out to Ellen Schwenk for her insights, but she would only say that the family had no comment at the current time.

As for the remaining $170,000 that was set aside for demolition and associated costs, Beckman said it will be swept into the General Fund Reserves at the end of the year.

“We use that account to fund City Council Financial Policy Projects such as the public safety facility,” she noted.

When all is said and done, it’s a time of upheaval for the residents of Shady Acres. There’s still a safety net in place, though, one that the city and ICAP hopes will provide a soft landing for everyone who’s been affected the impending land sale.

“We’re very happy for the partnership and we hope to help the residents of Brookings as much as we can,” Kessler said.

— Contact Mondell Keck at mkeck@brookingsregister.com.