‘Lost for hope’: Lawsuit filed against Madison County mobile home park for depriving residents of water

ALEXANDRIA, Ind. — Used baby bottles clutter the sink inside of Larry Gamble’s trailer, understandably so. 

Instead of turning on the sink, he has to boil water to get them clean. He turns to one of three orange pots on the stove. Water rushes out of gallon jugs into the left-most pot. Now, it’s a waiting game.

Steam lets Gamble know that the water is ready to be poured into the sink. The baby bottles and the dishes soon follow, but he’s not done. Another pot of hot water has to be poured into the empty side of the sink to rinse the suds off.

This has been his reality for the last 43 days, ever since the city shut off the water to Alexandria Mobile Home Park. The water stopped flowing in August. Although tenants had been paying their bills, the landlord stopped paying the city.

”We’re just lost for hope anymore,” resident Chrystal Jenkins said. 

The current conditions at the mobile home park are now at the heart of a class action lawsuit. It claims the mobile home has breached its contract with tenants and has caused intentional emotional distress, among other counts. 

Park Place Communities, a company based in Arizona, manages the mobile home community. The lawsuit names defendants Michael and Kayla Ayala as the owners and operators of the property.

Steven Paul is one of two plaintiffs named in the lawsuit.

“It’s pretty sad that we live in the United States in 2025 and we’re living in a third-world country,” Paul said. 

In August, Alexandria Mayor Todd Naselroad said the landlord of the park owed the city just shy of $100,000. He said the last time the account was paid in full was in February 2023. The last partial payment came through in January.

Naselroad said there were 13 attempts at a repayment agreement prior to the water being shut off.

“They just screwed everybody,” Paul said. “I mean, it’s so sad it’s almost laughable.”

Tenants, including Paul, said they’ve been victims of out-of-pocket costs while being left in the dark by their landlord. 

”I’m spending like $20 to $30 on laundry,” Jenkins said. “Gas going back and forth [is] at least $50. I just bought a portable shower for me and the kids to take a shower. That was $40 on top of the pot to boil the water.”

Residents said the email below, dated Aug. 26, was the first and only communication they received from Park Place Communities about the water issues. 

We are genuinely sorry for the disruption of water service. We will be in touch with more details. We are working with the city on an interim solution to get the water back on immediately and simultaneously working to acquire the resources to get the ongoing issues resolved. As you may or may not know, we have been through major transitions in the last 18 months and we are getting to a resolution that will allow the capital to be invested in the community. Bear with us today as we work through this and get it resolved for you, your families and the community.

Naselroad said back in August, the city said they would only restore the water service when the landlord enters a repayment agreement or pays at least $50,000.

”I’m just getting pretty close to where it’s just a lost cause,” Paul said. “That’s why I’m looking for somewhere else to live.”

The lawsuit asks for compensation, restitution for wrongfully detained payments and for the water to be turned back on immediately.

The landlord, the mayor and the attorney who filed the lawsuit were not available to comment.