NEWS & UPDATES
July 21, 2021
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- Upcoming Events
- MHI in Action
- In Case You Missed It
- Member Resources
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Registration Open for the 2021 Annual Meeting |
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Save your spot to attend MHI’s first in-person event in over a year! Register today to attend MHI’s Annual Meeting October 4-6 at Estancia La Jolla in La Jolla, CA. See longtime friends, meet new contacts, learn the latest industry trends and shape MHI strategies to capture new opportunities. We’ve designed the schedule to maximize time for both learning and networking. The schedule includes MHI’s division and council meetings, annual membership meeting and awards dinner, as well as an afternoon for networking and social activities.
MHI has reserved a limited number of tee times at world-renowned Torrey Pines South Course, host of the 2021 U.S. Open, in the morning on Sunday, October 3. Contact Gay Westbrook at (703) 229-6212 or gwestbrook@mfghome.org to reserve your spot today!
MHI is planning the Annual Meeting with your health and safety in mind; we are monitoring guidance from the CDC for in-person meetings and will comply with state and local guidelines.
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Final Networking Roundtable & Retirement Celebration for George Allen – August 12, Hilton Nashville Downtown, Nashville, TN www.educatemhc.com
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RV/MH Hall of Fame Induction Banquet – August 16, Northern Indiana Event Center, Elkhart, IN https://www.rvmhhalloffame.org/rsvp/
- 2021 MHI Annual Meeting – Oct. 4-6, Estancia La Jolla, La Jolla, CA
- 2021 MHI NCC Fall Leadership Forum – Nov. 8-10, Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile, Chicago, IL
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Representative Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) questions HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge. |
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Zoning Barriers to Manufactured Housing Discussed
at Congressional Hearing
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Representatives from both sides of the aisle questioned HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge about manufactured housing yesterday during a House Financial Services Committee hearing regarding the oversight of HUD. Representatives John Rose (R-TN) and Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) pressed HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge about how manufactured housing can help address the shortage of affordable housing in the country but is being hindered due to zoning and land use barriers. During her exchange with Representative Cleaver about what actions the Department is taking to remove zoning barriers that prevent manufactured housing from being placed in a community, Secretary Fudge praised manufactured homes for being “reasonably priced” and an “alternative” to site-built homes. She further stated that HUD is working to “engage communities to talk about zoning, such that it increases the cost of housing, and it keeps people out.” Secretary Fudge and Representative Cindy Axne (D-IA) also discussed the importance of manufactured housing communities. As part of MHI’s ongoing advocacy efforts, in advance of yesterday’s hearing, MHI worked with members of the House Financial Services Committee to have manufactured housing be a key topic of discussion.
Click here to watch the Representative Cleaver/Secretary Fudge exchange.
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MHI Tells FHFA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Not to Backtrack from Progress on
Serving Manufactured Housing
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During a listening session hosted by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and the Enterprises (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac), and in written comments to the agencies, MHI argued that the 2022-2024 Duty to Serve (DTS) Plans proposed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do not adequately address their statutory requirement to serve manufactured housing and called on FHFA to hold the Enterprises accountable. MHI requested that FHFA ensure Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s proposed 2022-2024 DTS Manufactured Housing Plans are improved, including ensuring increased volumes of land-home financing targets and the development of a flow program for the purchase and securitization of chattel loans. MHI also called for the Enterprises to continue to develop innovative programs, such as loans for CrossMod homes. As part of MHI’s grassroots efforts, nearly 200 members sent comments to FHFA and the following state associations submitted letters: Alabama, Arizona, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Thank you to everyone who participated. Click here to read MHI’s letter.
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FHFA Orders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to
Eliminate Refinance Fee
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The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to eliminate the adverse market refinance fee for loan deliveries effective on August 1, 2021. Last August, FHFA enacted a 50-basis points adverse market fee on mortgage refinance loans that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac purchase to cover losses projected as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Immediately when introduced last year, MHI, as part of a coalition of national housing industry associations, strongly argued that imposing this refinance fee on homeowners was the wrong approach as the economy recovers from the impact of COVID-19. In addition to its advocacy efforts as a part of this coalition, MHI, along with almost 100 members and eight state associations, directly contacted Members of Congress asking them to tell FHFA that this action would have a negative economic impact on homeowners seeking to improve their personal finances by refinancing their mortgages. More than 40 Representatives and eight Senators sent letters urging then FHFA Director Mark Calabria to tell Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that an adverse market fee is bad for homeowners. Additionally, numerous Members of Congress and the Administration issued statements expressing serious concerns with the refinance fee.
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Congressional Committee Calls on HUD
to Do More to Support Manufactured Housing
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The House Appropriations Committee has advanced the Fiscal Year 2022 Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (T-HUD) spending bill to the House floor for consideration the week of July 26. MHI’s request for language in the report was successful, and the Committee report highlights the importance of manufactured housing and urges HUD “to continue research to identify areas that could benefit from factory-built housing, regulatory barriers to factory-built housing, and impacts of those barriers on communities.” Inclusion of this language is an important way to keep momentum going at HUD on our priority issues.
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Funding for Manufactured Housing Community Preservation Included in Chairwoman Waters'
Legislative Housing Package
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House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) has released a legislative housing package consisting of three bills to end homelessness, support first-generation homebuyers in purchasing their first home, and ensure that housing is infrastructure. “The Housing is Infrastructure Act of 2021” would provide $600 million in housing infrastructure investments including replacement, upgrade, or improvement of infrastructure serving a manufactured housing community. “The Ending Homelessness Act of 2021” would transform the Housing Choice Voucher program into a federal entitlement and “The Downpayment Toward Equity Act of 2021” would provide $100 billion toward downpayment and other financial assistance for first-generation homebuyers to purchase their first home. This action by Chairwoman Waters follows a meeting with President Biden where he assured the Chairwoman that housing would be included in the reconciliation bill related to his infrastructure plan. MHI is currently reviewing these bills to identify opportunities for manufactured housing and areas of concern for our members. Click here to learn more about the legislative package.
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MHI Urges HUD to Ensure
Manufactured Housing is Addressed in its
Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Rule
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In comments to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in response to its reinstatement of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule, MHI continued to call on HUD to hold localities accountable in their land use planning and zoning actions when manufactured housing is restricted or eliminated. In its letter, MHI urged HUD to utilize its preemption authority to promptly identify circumstances when local zoning excludes manufactured homes from a community and strengthen its “Statement of Policy 1997-1 State and Local Zoning Determinations Involving HUD Code.” Further, MHI urged HUD to be proactive and promptly and clearly respond to requests for HUD to review whether a local action violates preemption. MHI provided the Department with extensive examples of land use planning or zoning actions that are adverse to manufactured housing. MHI has long called on HUD to fully utilize this authority to ensure that local regulatory construction standards and zoning, planning, or development policies do not adversely affect consumer housing choice – a primary objective of the AFFH rule. Click here to read the letter.
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HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge Prioritizes Manufactured Housing During Meeting about Supply Chain Challenges
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As part of MHI’s ongoing efforts to ensure manufactured housing remains a priority for the Administration, MHI held two meetings with Administration and senior White House officials on Friday to address supply chain challenges facing the industry and how manufactured housing can help address the affordable housing shortage in the country.
Joining a diverse group of stakeholders across the housing and homebuilding sector, MHI discussed current supply chain challenges impacting manufactured housing, its implications for the broader housing market, and possible solutions. Administration officials participating in the event included Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, Assistant to the President and Director of the National Economic Council Brian Deese, Assistant to the President and Director of the Domestic Policy Council Ambassador Susan Rice, and Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers Cecelia Rouse.
Due to scheduling constraints, HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge was the first official to address the group and prioritized manufactured housing as one of the two issues she wanted to discuss. In response, MHI CEO Lesli Gooch spoke about soaring lumber prices, and delays in receiving critical building supplies like insulation, vinyl siding, resin and PVC, which have impacted the availability of this affordable homeownership option. Gooch also thanked HUD for their recent actions on Alternative Construction letters enabling products of similar quality and safety not cited in the federal building code to be substituted and encouraged the Administration to continue to work with the industry as it confronts ongoing supply, labor and trucking shortages.
Immediately following the supply chain meeting, MHI and its members met with senior staff from HUD and the White House to discuss how manufactured housing can help address the affordable housing shortage in the country while meeting the Administration’s goals for addressing climate change.
The prioritization of manufactured housing by HUD Secretary Fudge and the Administration demonstrates MHI's ongoing strong advocacy efforts to ensure manufactured housing remains a top concern for policymakers.
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Learn, Grow and Succeed in Manufactured Housing |
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MHI offers a variety of educational opportunities and accreditations through the Manufactured Housing Educational Institute (MHEI) – each tailored to suit individual segments of our industry.
Interested in becoming an installer, renewing an installer license or need continuing education? MHEI is the place to go for manufactured home installation offering online training for installers of manufactured homes to meet the education requirements for licensing. Click here to learn more.
If you are a park owner or manager, learn all the tricks of the trade by signing up for the Accredited Community Manager (ACM) course. The two part course gives you all the training you will need to manage a manufactured home community efficiently and effectively, including management and resident policies, community maintenance, leasing and sales techniques, and fair housing laws. After completing both courses, you can apply for the ACM distinction. Click here to learn more.
Are you a retailer looking to increase sales and improve your customer’s experience? The Professional Housing Consultant (PHC) designation highlights what today’s buyers are looking for in manufactured housing and covers a wide variety of topics including an overview of the industry, in-depth information about mortgage financing, and successful sales techniques and strategies to help meet the demand of today’s manufactured home shoppers and make more sales. Click here to learn more.
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2020-2021 Redistricting – State Profiles Updated |
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Every ten years following the federal decennial census, all federal, state, and local election district boundaries must be redrawn or revised based on fresh population data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The Census Bureau kicked off the year-long redistricting scramble with its announcement of congressional reapportionment, changing the number of House seats each state will have for the next decade. The maps will not be redrawn until later this year, at the earliest, and the reapportioned Congress will not take effect until January 2023. Click here to see a state-by-state analysis of possible redistricting changes following 2020 reapportionment and incumbents who are most at risk. Information for Colorado, New Mexico, New York, and North Carolina has been updated.
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MHI Webinars Available On-Demand |
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Did you miss an MHI webinar? Or want to go back and learn more? MHI webinars are recorded and available on MHI’s website complimentary for members. Members have the opportunity to view content tailored towards community owners and operators, retailers, developers and more. Simply login to the MHI website to view. A full listing of MHI’s available webinars can be viewed by clicking here.
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Follow MHI on Facebook and Twitter |
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MHI News & Updates is a bi-weekly, members-only publication with important updates on federal legislative and regulatory activities, association accomplishments, industry events and other items important to our membership. |
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© 2021 the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI), Arlington, Virginia. All rights reserved. The content and works provided herein are protected under US copyright law and, where indicated, US trademark law. Without the prior written consent of MHI (which may be withheld in MHI's sole discretion), reproduction, distribution, transmission, caching or other commercialization of MHI copyrighted or trademarked material is strictly prohibited.
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