Manufactured Housing Reform

CRA-NC is seeking to promote reinvestment in manufactured
housing. This is a popular form of housing at affordable prices.
One in six North Carolinians lives in manufactured housing. There
are issues - from lack of consumer protections to issues around
asset building - but also plenty of opportunities.

Legislative Advocacy
CRA-NC participated in several legislative efforts to help
residents of manufactured housing. Two bills passed in the North
Carolina General Assembly in 2008.
a. Rep. Phillip Haire's bill on abandoned homes (H1134) was passed
in the Appropriations Act.
b. Rep. Susan Fisher's bill to prevent the displacement of
manufactured homes (H1700) passed, giving park owners that
sell their communities to residents (through a co-op or a
non-profit) a 5 percent deduction.

Park Acquisition and Rehabilitation
CRA-NC has partnered with two other groups to create the first
non-profit owned manufactured housing park in North Carolina.
Through funding from BB&T and grants from several sources, the
park provides affordable housing for fourteen families in
Burnsville, North Carolina.
view a slideshow of the Park in Burnsville.
Make sure to turn your sound on, and click on "small."

Control the Land, Control Your Destiny
We are articulating a wider political agenda through research on
manufactured housing: CRA-NC believes that manufactured
housing can become a significant tool within the housing stock
that is affordable to working families.Our agenda seeks to
address the systemic shortcomings of the land-lease park by
giving residents more control over the land where their homes
are located.

This can be achieved through a variety of strucures. Non-profit
owned parks are oneway. Resident-owned cooperatives are
another.
To get there, we need more actors to participate in
manufactured housing. This includes foundations, county
governments, state housing finance agencies, planners, and
banks.

Media
CRA-NC's work is highlighted in Bob Geary's profile of a park
threatened by closure in Raleigh, North Carolina. Subsequently, a
rezoning application is denied and the park is saved.

Research and Policy
CRA-NC is developing policy materials to articulate the pathways
to reform in this sector.
The Myths and Realities of Manufactured Housing, published by
the Federal Reserve, looks at the financing market for
manufactured homes.

"Transforming Trailers into Assets" published by the University of
North Carolina's School of Government, outlines how non-profit
ownership can create opportunities for the revitalization of
distressed parks.

This is My Home: The Challenges and Opportunities of
Manufactured Housing, is a resource for groups interested in
understanding the issues that surround manufactured housing
policy.