VETERANS TO HAVE “A PLACE TO CALL HOME” IN NEW HAMPSHIRE: “TINY” MANUFACTURED HOMES
The nation’s shortage of affordable housing has spawned a humanitarian crisis of homelessness that contradicts the American traditions of compassion for those that are less fortunate than others.
The country is reluctantly coming to the realization that opportunities for lower and middle-income homeownership, in the traditional site-built sense, are not coming any time in the near future.
Thanks to charities, concerned institutions, nonprofits, and faith-based groups, the utilization of factory-built homes to house the unfortunate is the “make sense” form of home to safely and inexpensively provide housing to some of those living on the street in several communities across the nation.
Today’s modern HUD Code manufactured homes are at minimum comparable, and often superior, to a site-built home in quality construction, energy efficiency, wind safety and the occasion of fire, and will have a cost
50% less, making manufactured housing the only truly quality affordable housing in the country. Manufactured homes are the only form of single-family dwellings subject to stringent national building code.
The following report by The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Massachusetts is another recent account of a municipality employing smaller manufactured homes to address specific homeless issues.
10 HOMELESS VETERANS IN DANVILLE, NEW HAMPSHIRE WILL SOON TRANSITION TO HOMEOWNERSHIP
A ceremonial ribbon was cut recently in Danville, New Hampshire on an expansion of the Rock Rimmon Cooperative, a community in the process of adding 10 manufactured homes reserved for veterans.
So far, three of the 500 square-foot homes are occupied, while another three are in the process of being sold — four more will be available after that.
Each of the small HUD Code manufactured homes have a single bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen, and sells for $50,000. With $250 down, veterans who occupy the new home will pay less than $200 per month – not including rent for a lot at Rock Rimmon – which is far less than they would spend on an apartment.
The project is organized by the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund and Harbor Homes, a multifaceted Nashua-based non-profit that works to find transitional housing for vets, as well as options for permanent housing, through its Veterans FIRST program.
“THESE VETERANS DESERVE BETTER HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES”
“We were galvanized into action when we learned that veterans were ready to leave supportive housing, but couldn’t because there were no affordable places to move to,” said Juliana Eades, president of Community Loan Fund, in a statement “these veterans deserve better housing opportunities.”
Rep. Chris Pappas, on hand for the ribbon-cutting, noted the housing crunch in southern New Hampshire works against people who deserve better. “We’re talking about individuals who put everything on the line for our country,” he said. “Hopefully the Rock Rimmon project is just the first of many like it.”
