Manufactured housing represents an untapped affordable housing resource in communities across the country. Constructed, developed, and financed differently from site-built housing, manufactured housing presents opportunities for NeighborWorks organizations (NWOs) to be resilient in meeting the needs of their communities. A fundamental knowledge gap exists that prevents NeighborWorks organizations from leveraging this type of housing in their existing housing and community development efforts. By developing tools and resources that address three areas of core competency (general information about the manufactured housing space, financing considerations for clients, and development and acquisition costs for organizations) we can foster greater use and acceptance of manufactured homes across the network. Ultimately, successful development efforts will not only generate earned revenue for NeighborWorks organizations but increase access to affordable housing options in the communities that they serve.
Why Read this Guide?
To address this challenge and help NWOs interested in manufactured housing activities and programs, the Manufactured Housing Strategies cohort, as part of the Learning Community in 2020, collaborated to develop this Blueprint document as a guide for developing new business lines or scaling existing ones to greater production. Leveraging members’ expertise in housing finance, counseling and development, this Blueprint serves as a primer to manufactured housing – and a roadmap for NWOs with the desire to build and scale sustainable programs centered on manufactured housing.
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