Nancy Rodriguez was facing an eviction notice from her San Antonio mobile home park with less than $500 to her name and arthritis that made packing nearly impossible. Her neighbor, Darci Harman, showed up anyway, loading boxes, hauling away trash and moving heavy concrete pavers one piece at a time until Rodriguez and her belongings were safely out. Weeks later, Harman received an eviction notice of her own.
Rodriguez works two jobs, as a janitor and a security worker, and had estimated that moving her mobile home could cost thousands of dollars, according to KABB. That estimate tracks with industry figures: short-distance moves for single-wide manufactured homes typically run $3,000 to $5,500, while double-wides can cost $6,000 to $12,000, according to Spark Homes Texas. Rodriguez's arthritis affected much of her body, making lifting and carrying especially difficult, and the station reports that figure left her budget drastically short of what the move would actually require.
Harman stepped in without being asked. She helped protect Rodriguez's mobile home from break-ins during the transition and kept working alongside her until everything was moved. The station's report notes she never asked Rodriguez for money in return.
A Notice That Hit Close to Home
Not long after Rodriguez relocated, the remaining residents of the mobile home park were ordered to leave as well. Harman and her husband now face their own moving expenses, vehicle problems and an uncertain destination, per the same account. The reversal put Harman in the same position as the neighbor she had just helped.
Rodriguez didn't let that stand. She used money she received through the Cash for Kindness program to repay Harman for the help she'd given. Rodriguez told Harman that her friendship meant the world to her, and Harman said she simply wanted Rodriguez to remain her friend.
Mobile home park residents occupy a different legal position than typical renters because they own their homes but lease the land beneath them. Under Chapter 94 of the Texas Property Code, those tenancies require a written lease and at least 60 days' notice before a lease can go unrenewed, according to Texas Law Help. If a landlord forces a tenant out before that notice period expires, state law requires the landlord to pay relocation costs upfront, including moving and reinstalling the home, under Texas Property Code Section 94.056, per the Texas Constitution and Statutes.
Why Local Eviction Numbers Matter Here
Even with a judgment in a landlord's favor, courts cannot issue a writ of possession until 30 days after the ruling if the tenant pays rent owed during that window, under Texas Property Code Section 94.203, according to FindLaw. Landlords filed 27,012 eviction cases in Bexar County in 2024 alone, affecting roughly 9 in every 100 renter households, with 12 percent of all filings coming from just 30 high-evicting properties, according to Texas Housers data reported by the San Antonio Express-News.
The City of San Antonio does offer some financial backstop. Its Resident Relocation Assistance Program, run through the Neighborhood and Housing Services Department, provides up to $7,500 for mobile home owners forced to relocate due to redevelopment or code enforcement actions, according to the City of San Antonio. The city also requires landlords issuing a Notice to Vacate to provide a Notice of Tenants' Rights, and official eviction hearings don't occur until 6 to 10 days after a lawsuit is filed, meaning a notice to vacate doesn't mean immediate departure.
Mobile home park closures have displaced San Antonio-area residents before. In July 2020, residents of the Jasper Mobile Home Park in East Bexar County were issued 30-day notices after county officials cited the property for dozens of fire and life safety violations, prompting Bexar County to allocate $100,000 in emergency relocation funds, according to KSAT. Nationally, about 18 million Americans live in manufactured housing, and roughly a third of them rent the lot beneath their home, leaving them exposed to displacement whenever that land is sold or redeveloped, according to Atlas Law Tampa.
Cash for Kindness Steps In Again
Cash for Kindness is an ongoing recognition program co-sponsored by San Antonio personal injury firm DJC Law and KABB FOX 29 that rewards people who help others without expecting anything in return. FOX SA presented Harman with an oversized check, and her prize arrived as $1,000 split into two $500 American Express gift cards. The program previously recognized a Kerrville volunteer chef who fed flood crews for weeks and was surprised with a similar $2,000 award.
Rodriguez reassured Harman that she wasn't alone in facing the move, and the two have already picked up where they left off. Harman helped carry Rodriguez's belongings to her new home, and now Rodriguez plans to return the favor by supporting Harman during her own upcoming move.
