U.S. SENATE BILL WOULD MAKE MANUFACTURED HOMES ELIGIBLE FOR FEDERAL LOW-INCOME HOUSING FUNDS
U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) on June 12 introduced a bipartisan bill to require the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to issue guidelines that would include residential manufactured homes as affordable housing for federal funding. (Reported by Ripon Advance News Services.)
Sen. Young cosponsored the HUD Manufactured Housing Modernization Act of 2009, S.1804, with bill sponsor U.S. SEN. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) to require HUD to issue guidelines for including manufactured housing in state and local governments’ Consolidated Plans, which outline their housing and community development priorities when applying for HUD funding, according to his office.
“Solving the housing affordability crisis for housing of all income levels is going to require bold and innovative changes to our nation’s housing policies,” Sen. Young said.
Many of the manufactured home community consider Indiana to be the birth state of today’s modern manufactured home industry. Sen. Young references the importance of manufactured housing in his home state when discussing S.1804 legislation.
“With over 2.5 million Hoosiers already living in manufactured homes–and with Hoosier workers leading the way in manufactured home construction–I know it is time to put greater emphasis on manufactured housing as a housing affordability solution,” said Young.
Passage of S.1804 would effectively acknowledge the importance of manufactured homes as a source of affordable quality mainstream homeownership by including manufactured housing in the state, county and community applications for federal funds to support affordable housing solutions.
THE TEXT OF S.1804 TITLED “HUD MANUFACTURED HOUSING MODERNIZATION ACT OF 2019” INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING FINDINGS:
(1) Manufactured housing is a significant source of unsubsidized affordable housing in the United States.
(2) Nearly 22,000,000 people in the United States live in manufactured housing, which opens the door to homeownership for families who, in many housing markets, cannot afford to buy a site-built home.
(3) Manufactured housing is the only form of home regulated by a federal building code, which includes health, safety, energy efficiency, and durability, and is found on land owned by the homeowner and land leased by the homeowner in communities owned and operated by private entities, non-profit organizations, or resident-owned communities.
(4) Manufactured homes can open the door to homeownership for millions of families; they can appreciate in value and be an effective long-term affordable housing solution for some families and communities across the United States.
S.1804, which has garnered support from the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI), Prosperity Now, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, and the National Association of Manufactured Housing Community Owners, is being considered by the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.
