Portland, Oregon, reporter Claire Rush, Seattle photographer Lindsey Wasson and Top Stories editor Mary Sedor teamed up to elevate news about statehouse bills designed to protect mobile home parks in Oregon and Washington into a deeply reported, authoritative and richly illustrated national package that used the stories of the residents of these threatened communities to highlight the affordable housing crisis nationwide and the efforts to find lasting solutions amid skyrocketing homelessness. The package centered on marginalized communities often overlooked in the polarized debate around homelessness and housing. The story was No. 2 on AP digital platforms on an extraordinarily busy weekend and was used by numerous online members, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Times, Fortune magazine website and MSNBC.com, among many others.
Team uses mobile home park laws to bring affordable housing crisis home for readers
Resident and board member of the mobile home park Bob’s and Jamestown Homeowners Cooperative, Gadiel Galvez, 22, poses for a portrait in his neighborhood, March 25, 2023, in Lakewood, Wash.
AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson