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Innovation Profile: Quality, Affordable Manufactured Housing

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Update: October 2011

Stacey's social enterprise, Next Step™ announced the launch of its website, www.NextStepUS.org. The site provides access to a wealth of information, from mission and impact to a News Brief page with updates in real time. It also serves as a platform for Next Step Network Members to find invaluable resources and allows organizations to explore the benefits of becoming a Member. Stacey was a featured speaker and Appalachian co-host for the 2011 I'M HOME Retreat in Knoxville, TN.

Update: December 2010

Since the summer, Stacey and Frontier National’s interim board have made much progress in strengthening Frontier National’s operations and have officially launched the organization under its new official name, Next Step™.  

The design of Next Step’s™ logo, website and business materials is in production. Next Step™ has increased its operational capacity through the recruitment of an experienced, high caliber staff: Amy Barnard, Billie Wells and Geof Bell. Amy comes to Next Step™ from Clayton Homes where she assisted with the design of our first series of homes. Billie joined Next Step™ after leaving Frontier Housing as a grants manager. Her consulting focus is on the financial modeling and due diligence review for investors with the Nonprofit Finance Fund. Geof is an AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer helping to further develop Next Step’s™ operational capacity. The staff trained for a week in Morehead, KY with Josh Trent of Frontier Housing and presented our a training for the Next Step™ Network at the I’M HOME: Innovations in Manufactured Homes Conference in Salt Lake City. In addition, Steve Hullibarger, a factory-built housing industry expert with experience consulting and training at the national level has joined Next Step’s™ virtual team.  

Contact Next Step™ by emailing a.barnard@nextstepus.org or NSinfo@NextStepUS.org.

Update: July 2010

On October 29, 2009 (at the 2009 CFED Innovation Summit) Frontier was thrilled to announce a strategic alliance with Clayton Homes, the leading home manufacturer and largest homebuilder in the nation. With this signed agreement, elements are in place to create the first national network of nonprofit manufactured homebuilders, the Frontier Network™. This unprecedented public-private partnership creates a new market dynamic that makes it easier for more low-income families to achieve homeownership.

Frontier National, a new, national nonprofit organization in the process of being spun off from Frontier Housing, has moved forward to define a product strategy that includes:

• Factory built (modular and manufactured) Energy Star single-family homes marketed to low- and moderate-income homebuyers
• Replacement of old energy-inefficient mobile homes with new Energy Star homes
• Factory built multifamily housing marketed to nonprofit developers

Frontier National’s product strategy is complemented by a comprehensive policy approach that presents replacement of mobile homes with Energy Star manufactured homes as an affordable housing and energy conservation strategy. Together with a broad coalition comprised of housing development nonprofits, energy advocates and the manufactured housing industry, CFED and Frontier support the approved House Bill 5019, or HomeStar Bill, which includes a new program which would offer $7,500 rebates to facilitate the purchase of a new Energy Star qualified home. It also adds a decommissioning grant of up to $2,500 for the cost of home removal. A companion bill was introduced into the Senate by Senator Jon Tester (D, MT), SB 1350. If the Senate approves this measure, Frontier’s new venture is faced with rapidly building systems to effectively meet demand generated by this program. The new program can support 60,000 replacements over two years. Stacey, formerly President of Frontier Housing and now President of Frontier National, and an I'M HOME network member, testified on March 11, 2010 before the U.S. Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee on the proposal to replace old mobile homes with energy efficient new manufactured homes as part of the Jobs bill. Click here to read her written testimony.

About the Innovation

To provide quality, affordable manufactured housing to all Americans, Stacey will work with Frontier National to distribute high-quality manufactured homes to nonprofits nationwide to serve local, low- and moderate-income families. The concept, currently being pilot-tested in a number of markets, involves training and assisting other nonprofits so their homes appreciate in value and build financial security. The new business that results from the innovation will serve as an aggregator between local nonprofits and home manufacturers to secure volume discounts and ensure product quality.

About the Innovator

Stacey Epperson is currently President of Frontier National and formerly President and CEO of Frontier Housing, a nonprofit based in Morehead, Kentucky, dedicated to expanding economic opportunity by ensuring Americans fair access to safe, efficient and sustainable manufactured and modular homes.

CFED gratefully acknowledges I’M HOME: Innovations in Manufactured Homes in helping support Stacey Epperson as an Innovator-in-Residence. Major funding for I’M HOME comes from the Ford Foundation, and I’M HOME is presented in partnership with NeighborWorks America, Fannie Mae and ROC USA.

Tags: Aging, Credit & Finance, Green Economy, Housing, Rural, Saving & Investment, Underserved, Social Enterprise