On a mission to help vets
<p>Vietnam veteran Bill Davis kisses his wife, Lexey, as they stand in front of their mobile home on Wednesday in the River City Village in Post Falls. The couple, along with another veteran in the Village, were given an eviction notice last December, and are still waiting for an answer as to why they are being evicted from their home of two years.</p>
<p>Bill Davis and his wife of three years, Lexey, laugh on Wednesday in their mobile home in River City Village in Post Falls as they share stories of their past. The couple have lived in the Village for two years in a mobile home that was gifted to them by another veteran. Last December, the Davis' received a 90-day eviction notice, and still have yet to be informed why.</p>
POST FALLS — Vietnam veteran Bill Davis loves to help fellow veterans and their families in need.
So when he was informed about — and not given the option of opting out of — a fundraiser that will help him and fellow senior and veteran Jerry Agre with costs related to being served eviction notices from a Post Falls mobile home park, Davis said it was awkward for him and his wife, Lexey, to receive help.
"We're humbled," said Davis, a veterans service officer for American Legion Post 143 in Post Falls who holds regular dinners at the Eagles to raise money for vets and families in need. "Post Falls is getting bigger and bigger, but it still has that small-town atmosphere and pulls for each other."
The fundraiser — which will assist Davis, 67, and Agre, 89, with attorney filing fees, costs to help them retain their trailers and other expenses associated with the evictions — will be held at the Falls Club, 611 E. Seltice Way, on Saturday, March 12, starting at 3 p.m. The event will include a buffet, live auction, music and raffle.
Margie Coe, Falls Club manager, said when she heard about the veterans' situation she jumped to organize the fundraiser.
"It's a very sad situation, and it's too bad it had to come to this," Coe said. "When I look at these guys who fought for our freedom, this bothers me. We need to do what we can to help them out."
Coe said multiple organizations and individuals have rallied to donate food, time and items to the fundraiser, including the Guardians of the Children nonprofit that is assisting with the meal.
Both Agre and the Davises were served 90-day eviction notices from the River City Village mobile home park in December. They face March 31 deadlines to be out of the park, unless an extension is granted. Agre has lived in the park for 15 years and the Davises for two.
The veterans say the notices were served without reason despite them being responsible tenants. They said the park's owner and manager won't speak to them about the matter. Larry Gilman, the park's owner, has also declined to comment to the media.
"If they'd tell me what the problem is, I'd fix it," Davis said.
Under Idaho law, landlords who have month-to-month contracts with tenants aren't required to provide a reason for evictions as long as a 90-day notice is given. Tenants don't have a case to fight evictions unless they have proof they were retaliated or discriminated against.
However, an attorney is trying to win the veterans a day in court so their case can be heard and complaints have been filed with the Human Rights Commission and the Intermountain Fair Housing Council. Elected officials have also been contacted about the matter.
Although the veterans don't know if it is the reason for the evictions because the park's owner and manager won't talk about it, they wonder if it's due to them having companion animals for medical reasons. Davis has a dog and Agre has a cat — both animals are kept inside — and the veterans have doctors' consent to have them as companion animals. The veterans said the park owner and manager weren't interested in seeing such paperwork.
The vets say park rules state dogs and cats are not allowed, but they don't specifically address companion animals.
Davis, who also served as state commander for the Combat Veterans Association for nine years, said his dog assists him with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
"She senses my moods," Davis said.
Jason Agre, Jerry's son, said his father, a Korean War veteran, recently moved into an assisted living facility.
"He went to the doctor and the prognosis wasn't too good," Jason said.
The veterans believe their mobile homes, which they own, are too old to move, but they are having someone look into that option.
If homes are manufactured on or before June 15, 1976, governmental agencies require proof that it has gone through a rehabilitation process and has been approved by the state before a setting permit is issued.
"We've been told that it will be expensive to move it — if we can move it at all," Davis said of his mobile home.
Davis said he and his wife haven't started packing yet and are clinging to the hope that something will shake through the courts.
"We have grandkids and great-grandkids in the area, but we're too old for that (to live with them)," Davis said.
Davis said even if he moves out, he'll still have to pay the lot rent with his home on the property or he'll have to try to sell it. He said it's possible the home could be classified as abandoned and he and Agre could lose their homes and investments.
Davis figured living in the mobile home park would be a way for he and his wife to make ends meet, but that situation now has a heavy cloud.
"My health is not good, and she seems OK with living here," Davis said. "We saw it as an ideal situation because it's inexpensive."