Last summer, the lives of a couple who recently immigrated from Nicaragua were turned upside down as they were forced to leave the RV they were renting in Sylmar with a handful of belongings. They had no idea where they would be sleeping that night.
The husband and wife (who requested anonymity for privacy concerns) left their homeland approximately a year-and-a-half ago “to look for jobs, work hard and earn money” to support their four children waiting for them back in Nicaragua. Their lives are finally starting to bear some semblance of what they envisioned before coming to the U.S. – they both work long days at factory jobs, watch their expenses, send gifts and money home to their kids, and save what they can.
But the couple’s modest, hard-fought gains come on the heels of being sidetracked last July when they were among dozens who had to vacate an illegal motorhome park on the residential property of Cruz Florian Godoy, who rented up to 26 RVs of various sizes for $400 to $600 per tenant. The living conditions were reprehensible – and so was the landlord, according to the wife.
“She [Godoy] was basically a slumlord,” the wife said, recounting as an example how they often had to use buckets or plastic bags as toilets and then dump the waste in designated areas on the property because the jerry-rigged plumbing on the RVs wasn’t working.
When tenants complained about the filthy and inhumane situation, Godoy would sometimes “hire” one of the tenants (for a discount on rent) to do minor RV repairs or nominal cleanup around the Hubbard Street property. More often, especially during the final months before authorities forced Godoy to shut down, she would callously respond to complaints with: “Si no les gusta … se pueden largar” – which means, “If you don’t like it … you can get the hell out.”
Eventually, tenants had no choice but to do exactly that – nearly 70 individuals moved out. Some were single, some coupled, and several had children. Most tenants were newer immigrants from Mexico or Central America, and many were undocumented – people with limited earning potential and few options, who felt they had no choice but to accept Godoy’s “heartless exploitation.”
“That’s what she did – she took advantage of people like us just to make money,” the wife said.
Trying to Move Forward
People like one of the couple’s former neighbors, a 38-year-old sometime musician and part-time restaurant worker who recently lost her job (and who also requested anonymity for privacy concerns). She reluctantly admitted she’s now living out of her car in the Sylmar area, trying to figure out what to do next.
“Like I told you last time [in October 2023], I was renting a room in Sylmar, but I didn’t know how long I’d be able to afford it,” she said, adding she used the relocation funds she and other former Godoy tenants received from the Los Angeles Housing Department (LAHD) to help cover the cost of moving in and the first few months of the $1,000 rent – double what she used to pay.
“Now I’m just praying something works out.”
The former tenant is reluctant to ask others for help, but she’s reaching out to people she knows for leads on work or a safe place to stay.
“Hopefully, with God’s help, I’ll get through this, too,” she added.
Luckily, for the husband and wife, they have a place to live. But things are far from perfect.
“We’re actually renting an RV again,” the wife grudgingly divulged. Similar to their previous living situation with Godoy, the motorhome they’re renting is on a residential property in Sylmar. It, too, lacks some basic amenities – there’s no hot water and the RV’s toilet is not fully operational.
But this time, there aren’t dozens of RVs packed tightly together in a backyard – there’s only one.
“It’s quiet here, we have some privacy – it’s fine,” she said. Unfortunately, their rent is $1,000, a big difference from the $600 they paid Godoy.
“But it’s much better here – it’s cleaner, with no one harassing or threatening us,” the wife said. “It’s harder financially, but at least we have some peace of mind.”
Then and Now
The Nicaraguan woman said she was left mentally and physically drained by the whole ordeal with Godoy – from dealing with the horrifying living conditions to ending up in a homeless shelter after all the tenants were suddenly ousted. At one point she and her husband lived in their car for more than two weeks. They also bounced between cheap motels because they couldn’t find affordable housing (especially being new immigrants, with no rental or credit history).
Last August, the couple received a lump sum of $9,900 from the LAHD to assist with relocation costs. While they greatly appreciated the financial assistance, the wife said the dollar amount didn’t come close to covering the value of all the personal belongings they had to leave behind when they were forced to vacate the motorhome they rented from Godoy.
“When we went back to get our things the next day, she [Godoy] wouldn’t let us enter; we had to call the police, and they told her she had to let us go in,” she recounted. Unfortunately, they were only given 15 minutes to grab as many of their belongings as they could physically carry out.
“We got the most important things – our documents, my passport – anything within our reach that we could get quickly,” she said, describing the scene as chaotic, especially because it was a dark night with no electricity in the RV. “We left so many things – dishes, expensive tools, a bunch of gifts for the kids, clothing, shoes, and even a brand-new mattress.”
She believes Godoy should have been forced to provide financial restitution to her and her husband, and to all other former renters, not only for the valuables she believes Godoy and her cohorts looted from the RVs, but also for the mental and physical distress they endured living on the premises.
“She robbed us – that’s indisputable,” she claimed. “We believe they should have made her pay a penalty, to reimburse us. It’s not about us being greedy – it’s only fair. That should be her punishment, to teach her a lesson and make her understand everything she took from us.”
Seeking Relief and Support
While Godoy won’t be forced to compensate former tenants for their losses, she may have to reimburse the agency, according to LAHD Public Information Director Sharon Sandow. LAHD, Sandow said, provided relocation assistance to 16 former tenants (individuals and families), paying out between $9,900 to $20,850 per renter (depending on age, whether there were minors in the family and other factors).
In total, LAHD paid out more than $180,000.
“The LAHD is in the process of recovering those funds through a lien on [Godoy’s] property,” Sandow said. “It is incredibly heartbreaking to hear that some folks are still struggling.”
To date, Godoy has been to court multiple times, most recently for a progress report hearing at the Van Nuys West Courthouse on April 25, when Judge Alicia Y. Blanco gave her more time to remove the three remaining vacant motorhomes from her property.
Godoy has repeatedly refused press inquiries from the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol.
Godoy’s next and possibly final court hearing is scheduled for July 11. But the Nicaraguan wife and mother said she and her husband gave up on the idea of seeing justice done long ago.
“We don’t have much, but at least we have somewhere to live – at one point we were on the streets,” she said.
“Thank God, we’re no longer homeless. A lot of people aren’t that lucky.”