Reporting out from Louisville

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By Mike Bullard March 2, 2015

ROC USA Network Director Mary O’Hara wrote a short piece for MHProNews.com following the Louisville Manufactured Housing Show.

Give it a look here, and have a peek at the ROC USA booth, too.

Manufactured home owners are reimagining stable housing as local communities face untenable rent increases

“In commercial banking, they talk a lot about ‘We want to help with affordable housing, so let’s build apartment complexes,'” says Tina McKinstry, a member of Takesa Village, a resident-owned mobile home park in Mead. “You’re making a landlord rich. You’re not making the people rich. With [co-ops], you’re making the people rich.”

Autumn Tigart joins ROC USA as senior advisor for governance and business

Autumn brings extensive experience supporting Resident Owned Communities, having previously served as a ROC program specialist with NeighborWorks Montana.

CDI helps Cedar Falls become Maine’s 12th ROC

With the help of Cooperative Development Institute and public and private funding, homeowners at Cedar Falls Resident Cooperative purchase their community for $8 million.

Asha Rao joins ROC USA Capital as deputy director

The former LISC leader will focus on loan origination and management, loan product development, and supporting the management and culture creation for the ROC USA Capital team.

Meadowood Village residents purchase their mobile home park in Littleton, locking in affordable housing for decades to come

“It is great to see a community gain control of its future like Meadowood has,” Littleton City Manager Jim Becklenberg said. “I am very pleased that the city was able to help the residents persevere through the process in a very modest way that resulted in more protected and affordable housing for the community.”

Colorado Homeowners Purchase Manufactured Home Community for Over $18 Million

“I am thrilled to see the collaboration between public and private funders who recognize the importance of preserving the affordability of these 92 homes in a growing suburb of Denver.” said ROC USA CEO Emily Thaden. “The hard work of the homeowners at Meadowood Cooperative, working alongside Thistle, has paid off for current homeowners and future generations.”

CDI receives $50K to build new resident owned manufactured home community

A private donor gave the Cooperative Development Institute, or CDI, $50,000 to jump-start the project, which is expected to cost millions of dollars and take years to complete.

Turning vacancies into victory

Royal Crest Residents Association has built a thriving real estate initiative, generating $130,000 in commissions and filling 12 vacant sites. This grassroots effort boosts affordability and keeps site fees down.

Federal grant to help improve water system at Sunset Terrace in Rockland, Maine

George Krise describes his neighborhood as a mix of young and old, ranging from new babies to 90-year-olds. It’s the kind of place where kids yell “car” when someone drives down the road so everyone can stay safe. The kind of place where neighbors look out for each other.

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