Related videos:
Teresa Álvarez Montero, a 93-year-old woman who moved to the United States from Costa Rica in 1976, is facing eviction from her trailer in the Silver Court Mobile Home Park, located on Calle Ocho in Little Havana, and a neighbor has started a campaign on GoFundMe to help her afford a new roof during her final years.
The journalist Javier Díaz from Univision 23 Miami shared the case through a video on Facebook, where he explains that Teresa lives completely alone—she never married or had children—and does not receive Social Security benefits or Medicaid.
The elderly woman worked her entire life and invested her savings to buy the trailer in 1993 for just $8,000.
After decades of improvements, the property has reached an estimated value of $50,000, but the company that owns the land is offering only $10,000 in compensation if it vacates the park before May 31.
In addition to her situation of loneliness and economic hardship, Teresa has survived cancer and suffers from diabetes, according to the description of the fundraising campaign.
"I feel shattered, having to leave my little house, having to leave everything," the elderly woman declared days ago to Univisión.
The mass eviction was announced on March 11, when the company 1989 Sunny Court LLC, a subsidiary of Marquis Property Company from California, posted notices on the doors of the residents announcing the closure of the park.
The company acquired the Silver Court in 2021 for 50 million dollars and set September 30, 2026, as the deadline for all residents to vacate the premises, without specifying what it will build on the land.
The case of Teresa is not isolated: the eviction affects more than 200 families in the 65-year-old park, mostly low-income individuals, retirees, and immigrants.
Community leader Joseph Madera described the compensation offered as "economic annihilation," noting that many trailers are cemented to the ground and cannot be moved.
Under Chapter 723 of the Florida Statutes, when a park changes its use, landowners are only required to give six months' notice and provide minimal compensation ranging from $1,375 to $6,000 per trailer, well below the actual value of the homes.
Residents proposed a compensation of $60,000 and a three-year timeline during a meeting, but the company remained firm in its position.
Republican state senator Ileana García visited the park twice with her team and legal assistance organizations to guide those affected, whom she described as "a very, very vulnerable population," and she promised to advocate for reforms to extend notice periods to between nine and twelve months.
Miami Commissioner Ralph Rosado is also coordinating municipal resources for those displaced, according to local media reports on the eviction at Silver Court.
In Teresa's specific case, her neighbor Kathya Salgado offered to take her in and launched a campaign on GoFundMe on April 14, aiming for a goal of $50,000.
Salgado describes the situation as follows: "Teresa has no family, she needs help paying for her medications and rent. She has survived cancer, is diabetic, and lives alone."
Díaz, who spread the call, emphasized that neighbors have already helped the 93-year-old woman after her story became known, and ended his video with a direct message: "One dollar makes a difference."
As of this Monday, the campaign has raised $1,446 from 38 donors, which is only 2.9% of the goal set to provide Teresa with a roof for the remaining time she has.
Filed under: