Washington, D.C., July 9, 2019 –The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR), in a June 28, 2019 communication to HUD Secretary Ben Carson ( copy attached ), has called on the Secretary to take strong action on four key matters relating to the availability, utilization and affordability of federally-regulated manufactured housing.
While praising Secretary Carson for his consistent and outspoken support for manufactured housing as a key resource in solving the nation’s affordable housing crisis, MHARR’s communication nevertheless emphasizes that specific, concrete progress is urgently needed to: (1) ensure that mainstream HUD Code manufactured housing is fully included in all federal and federally-funded housing programs through appropriate and legitimate action; (2) reform existing Federal Housing Administration (FHA) manufactured home consumer finance support programs (and particularly the Title I manufactured housing personal property finance program), to restore them to a market-significant level of activity; (3) begin the process of addressing and ultimately eliminating discriminatory zoning exclusions and limitations on manufactured housing; and (4) complete the full and final reform of the HUD manufactured housing program in accordance with the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000.
Given Secretary Carson’s recent appointment to chair the White House Council on Eliminating Barriers to Affordable Housing, pursuant to President Trump’s June 25, 2019 Executive Order, each of these matters should be addressed and resolved on a priority basis, both as a matter of fundamental regulatory reform, as targeted by the Trump Administration under Executive Orders 13771 and 13777 (and related administration policies), and as a necessary and essential step to remove existing regulatory barriers to the greater utilization, availability and affordability of the only type of housing to be comprehensively regulated by HUD itself.
In Washington, D.C., MHARR President and CEO, Mark Weiss, stated: “While MHRR and all involved in the HUD Code manufactured housing industry appreciate the support that Secretary Carson has repeatedly voiced for HUD-regulated manufactured housing, as well as his efforts to promote manufactured housing as an affordable housing resource for American families, there is much that remains to be addressed within HUD and beyond, in order to ensure equality and parity for manufactured homes in several crucial areas. MHARR continues to urge the Secretary to lead on these matters, and the creation of the new White House Council provides a ready vehicle to achieve rapid and significant progress in all of these areas.”
The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform is a Washington, D.C.-based national trade association representing the views and interests of independent producers of federally-regulated manufactured housing.
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