2019 I'M HOME Conference Recap

With almost 300 attendees, the 15th Annual I'M HOME Conference was bigger and more diverse than ever before! We greatly appreciate all of the partners, panelists and attendees who joined us in Portland to make the conference such a success. Click here for a list of presentations, handouts and other materials from the conference.

Missed out on the chance to attend? Read this blog post where Prosperity Now's Senior Fellow of Affordable Homeownership, Doug Ryan, provides us with a conference recap.

Keep a lookout in the coming months for important information for next year! We look forward to continuing the mission of I'M HOME into 2020 with your continued engagement and support.

I'M HOME Working Groups

In early 2017, the I'M HOME Network launched five working groups to support and expand its work. The working groups provide members of the I'M HOME Network with an opportunity to share their expertise and join with other members to tackle important problems in the manufactured housing field. These different groups focus on policy, communications, single-family finance, resident engagement and community preservation.

To better support and expand the work of the I'M HOME Network, we are starting afresh with the 2020 working groups. As such, if you did not get the chance to sign up in person, please fill out this brief survey to get started or to rejoin your previous group.

2019 - A Year in Review

In addition to all of the effort that was put in by I'M HOME Community at the annual I'M HOME Conference, 2019 also brought a vast array of other exciting work.

February saw the launch of the I'M HOME Community Spotlight, a bi-monthly series that highlights the voices and stories of the I'M HOME Community. The series featured posts from authors such as Russ Watson of the Federation of Manufactured Home Owners of Florida, Inc., ROC USA's Melissa Proulx and Next Step's Grant Beck.

2019 was also the year of television as we watched our partners at Family Promise have their work highlighted in a profile on the Today Show in March. The following month brought about a segment in which HBO's John Oliver discussed the threat private investors are bringing to manufactured housing. This segment even referenced research statistics from Prosperity Now's Senior Fellow of Affordable Homeownership, Doug Ryan!

In October, Prosperity Now and our partners in the I'M HOME Network brought back the anti-stigma campaign to address misconceptions around manufactured housing. During this month, we worked to break down preconceived notions about manufactured housing, showcase the diversity of homeowners and highlight its attractive and affordable nature.

As always, 2019 showcased our continuous support for legislation and policies at the federal, state and local levels to support manufactured housing in the affordable housing arena. This included our continued support of the Federal Housing Finance Agency's Duty to Serve Plans.

News

Freddie Mac Releases Analysis of ROCs

On November 18th, Freddie Mac released an analysis of Manufactured Housing Resident-Owned Communities. This paper, which is a part of the Duty to Serve Plan, reinforces manufactured housing as a source of affordable housing while detailing the battle of converting communities to resident ownership. Read more

Residents Protest Rent Hike

Residents of the Silver Stream Village Mobile Home Park in New Windsor, NY took to the streets to protest the pending rent increase in their community that totals nearly 6 percent. New York Senator James Skoufis joined residents as they fought back against the park owner. Read more

Higher Density Zoning for Improved Housing Affordability

Housing consultants made recommendations for how Sussex County, DE can increase affordable housing including leveraging the use of manufactured homes. One such recommendation proposed permitting manufactured homes built after 2000 in zones with detached single-family homes. Read more

Policy

Massachusetts Bill Could Include Manufactured Homes as Affordable Housing

Massachusetts State Representative Susan Williams Gifford recently filed bills that would include manufactured housing in local quotas regarding affordable housing. Read more

Zoning Proposal to Protect Manufactured Housing

A zoning proposal being presented this week in Ventura County, CA could protect parks from being redeveloped. The proposal would ban building other types of housing on property that is currently occupied by 25 different parks. A companion proposal would add extra protection for senior parks. Read more