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The Inclusive Economy
New Manufactured Housing Toolkit Resource Guide Released
By Lauren Williams on 09/15/2011 @ 11:00 AM
Check Out the Newest Resource Guide!
First Steps Toward a Resident Purchase Opportunity
CFED and our partners have developed a set of tools to help advocates educate policymakers, allied organizations and the general public about how public policy can improve the lives and financial security of owners of manufactured housing.
Our newest addition to the Manufactured Housing Toolkit is the First Steps Toward a Resident Purchase Opportunity Resource Guide. We know that nearly 2.9 million manufactured homes are placed in communities around the United States—this accounts for nearly 43% of all manufactured homes. When owners of manufactured homes place them in communities, they typically lease the land on which their homes sit and become vulnerable to rent increases, arbitrary rule enforcement and even community closure if the community owner decides to convert the land to some other use.
A state purchase opportunity policy that ensures manufactured home community residents have an opportunity to bid when their communities are for sale gives them equal rights with other potential buyers. Sometimes, however, advocates are unable to secure a full-fledged purchase opportunity policy. Whether to push for a less-than-comprehensive purchase opportunity policy presents a dilemma for advocates. If state policymakers adopt one of the suggested “first steps,” they may feel that they have solved the problem and may be unwilling to revisit the issue. Similarly, advocates may choose not to mount a policy campaign for a “first step” policy since it does not guarantee residents the full opportunity to purchase their communities. But a multi-step approach can be effective if advocates have a multi-year strategy, and if they make it clear to policymakers that the “first step” policies they are proposing are only that – first steps. This policy guide presents “first steps” – steps that do not amount to a comprehensive purchase opportunity policy but that may help move a state toward such a policy.
The Manufactured Housing Toolkit includes Policy Briefs, Resource Guides, Sample Local Level Policies and Communications Tools. Policy Briefs are intended to be broadly disseminated and shared with policymakers and allies, while the Resource Guides include legislative analysis, examples of states where certain policies have been adopted, and other detailed information to help advocates in making the case for manufactured housing. The Communications Tools include both concise messages to share with policymakers and community members, as well as tips for advocates in framing the discussion.
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