Grant program would provide $65 million to preserve, increase manufactured home access

The district of Rep. Matt Norris (DFL-Blaine) has the most manufactured housing in the state.

So, it should be no surprise that he sponsors HF814, that intends to preserve and expand access to manufactured homes.

“Manufactured housing is our best source of naturally occurring affordable housing in this state,” Norris said.

The House Housing Finance and Policy Committee laid the amended bill over Wednesday for possible omnibus bill inclusion.

Backed by geographically diverse legislators, Norris said the bill contains three major appropriations:

• $30 million in the upcoming biennium to provide manufactured housing communities with reliable, sustainable resources to maintain their infrastructure;
• $25 million in fiscal year 2024 to create lending products that allow manufactured housing residents to access affordable loans; and
• $10 million in fiscal year 2024 to fund a manufactured home park purchase program to help residents to take an ownership interest in the parks.

Who lives in manufactured housing?

Northcountry Cooperative Foundation provides technical assistance to those living in manufactured home communities as they organize and run their own residential cooperatives, said executive director Victoria Clark.

About three out of four households served through this work make 60% of the area median income or below. “A full third of the households that we serve are considered extremely low-income, making 30% of AMI or below,” Clark said, “… 42% of the households served are also Black, Indigenous and people of color.”

Representing one of the 10 in the state, Bev Adrian, board president of Woodlawn Terrace Cooperative, spoke about how grant money has positively impacted her community.

“We bought a property that had been neglected for many, many years,” she said.

The cooperative received $1 million to improve the infrastructure, including the water system, sewer lines and roads.

“Infrastructure is critical in all of the parks in the state,” Adrian said. “It’s one of the last things that park owners want to pay for.”