Siler City families reach agreement with poultry processor to move out

A group of families in Siler City that was facing eviction from a mobile home park reached an agreement with a landowner to increase the compensation for their units and extend their deadline for leaving, according to a local nonprofit.

The Hispanic Liaison, a nonprofit advocating for the 27 families of Johnson's Mobile Home Park, helped reach the agreement with Mountaire Farms to increase residents' compensation from $5,000 to $8,300 per unit and give them until July 31 to move out. Residents will also be exempt from paying rent through the end of that month.

Many of the residents owned their homes but paid $210 in monthly lot rent. The rent exemption will save families another $1,890 if they stay through July, the organization said.

Families were originally told in November that they had to be out of their homes by May 7 after the land was bought by Mountaire Farms to build a poultry processing plant.

“We applaud Mountaire Farms for listening to the families’ concerns, and, most of all, for doing the right thing for these families by increasing the compensation from $5,000 to $8,300," said Ilana Dubester, the organization's executive director. "The residents are happy with the agreement and relieved that this aspect of their situation is now resolved.”

The families and the Hispanic Liasion initially asked Mountaire for $46,000 per family but came down to the amount agreed to on Monday.

Mountaire purchased the land in November from a private owner, but many families didn't have another place to go.