Twins birth puts family over house size

KENTWOOD, Mich. (WOOD) - When Mike Morris lost his job and house, he and Shawnee Crider - along with their three children - moved in with Morris' mother at Pinebrook Village, a mobile home park in Kentwood.

But the family's temporary housing solution fell through when they received a letter from Kentland Corporation, which owns the park. Morris, Crider and now five children - shortly after moving in, his wife gave birth to twins - had to move out.

The Kentland Corporation maintains that both the law and park rules and regulations state each individual in a house must have 250 square feet of living space. With eight people living in Morris' mother's mobile home, the family is in violation of the rule.

24 Hour News 8 checked the park rules and they do say that. Two of the people living in the home are the 2-month-old infants. But if you do include them, they do appear to be technically in violation of the park rules.

Morris has been collecting unemployment and looking for work. But having to move out of his mother's mobile home will set the family back.

"We have been trying to save a little bit of money, but now the tough part is, if I even find a place to rent, will they approve me? Because I don't have a job right now," Morris said.

Other family members might come to the rescue. They could provide financial assistance so Morris and his family can rent a house or mobile home. But the family is worried about potentially being split up for a while. Finding something by the end of the month would be ideal.

"Right now I don't know," Morris said. "We're kinda stuck."

The Morris family's situation is not uncommon. A January poll by the AARP found 18 percent of people age 18 and older living with their parents.

There is help for people in similar situations:

Home Repair Services is the community's central intake for all foreclosure related cases. (616) 241-2601.

The Grand Rapids Housing Continuum of Care 

Foreclosure Response