Resident-owned communities help keep manufactured-home owners stably and affordably housed by putting them in charge. In New Hampshire, 151 parks have converted to resident ownership, preserving nearly 9,000 affordable homes. Incentives for park owners to sell to their residents help reinforce and expand this successful model. 

We support S. 4584, the Manufactured Housing Community Sustainability Act, which would  provide park owners an incentive in the form of a tax credit worth 75 percent of the capital gains they receive from the sale of their community if they sell to their residents. This bill would further support long-term housing affordability and stability by requiring that the park remain resident-owned for at least 50 years.

The New Hampshire Community Loan Fund is one of more than 1,000 U.S. Dept. of Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). CDFIs like us are designed to provide lending to traditionally underserved communities to further economic opportunity for all. 

• The CDFI Fund provides federal funding, alongside private capital, to support the work CDFIs do in providing financing where it is needed most. 
• In FY24, Congress appropriated $324 million for the CDFI Fund. This year we appreciate the support of N.H.’s Congressional delegation in calling for continued funding in FY25, which will enable the ongoing work of CDFIs like ours across the country. 
• We will continue advocacy efforts to preserve the CDFI Fund and continually monitor legislation that may harm its ability to function. 

The Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement (PRICE) Program is a first-of-its-kind grant program that provides funding specifically for manufactured housing and manufactured-housing communities. This funding can be used to preserve and revitalize manufactured housing, including through critical infrastructure improvements. 

• In many ROCs, the park’s previous commercial owners failed to make necessary infrastructure investments. This neglect has left many ROCs with deteriorating, and sometimes unsafe, infrastructure. 
• The New Hampshire Community Loan Fund applied for funding through the PRICE Program. During the application process, we received requests from 46 Resident-Owned Communities (ROCs) for more than $131 million in eligible infrastructure needs, more than half of the total PRICE program funding available for the whole country. 
• It’s clear there’s an urgent need for additional PRICE funding. We support additional funding for this program and appreciate the N.H. Congressional delegation for calling for an additional $225 million in funding in FY25. 

Under current N.H. law (RSA 205-A), manufactured-housing park owners are required to provide residents with 60 days’ notice of their intent to sell the park. This law also requires that the park seller negotiate in “good faith” with the tenants of the park for their potential purchase. This law helps support residents who want to purchase their park, however there is room for improvement. 

We will support legislation which strengthens the 60-day notice as well as defend the existing law from any efforts to undermine it. 

We were proud to work with Representative Joe Alexander on HB 1361, a bill that clarifies New Hampshire’s existing zoning laws around manufactured housing, while also creating new opportunities for the expansion of existing manufactured-home parks.

• This bill has now been signed into law by Governor Sununu.
• We will continue monitoring the implementation of this legislation and look for additional opportunities to create new manufactured-housing options.

We are committed to ensuring that resident-owned communities are stable and affordable for years to come. We support policy and advocacy efforts that keep ROC operating costs low, reduce unnecessary burden on ROCs, and help provide them with access to the financial products that they deserve including:  

• Increasing the financing options available for manufactured homes by using our first-hand experience providing single-family mortgages for those homes.
• We work with regulators - at both the state and federal level – to better support and encourage manufactured-housing options.

We are working to increase awareness of manufactured homes as a key solution to N.H.’s housing crisis.  As part of these efforts we will: 

• Foster relationships with key lawmakers to educate them on the benefits of manufactured housing.
• Support homeowners in ROCs who wish to tell their stories directly to their representatives. 
• Collaborate with other advocacy groups to support additional efforts to increase access to affordable housing options.
• Seek opportunities to publicly promote manufactured housing, including during National Homeownership Month in June.