The recent authorization of the Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement (PRICE) program is a historic win for manufactured housing communities nationwide. Bipartisan leaders in Congress deserve real credit for advancing this legislation. But resident homeowners know the work started years earlier, with ordinary people willing to share their stories and speak up for their communities.
Where it started
Resident leaders on the ROC Association Policy and Advocacy Committee saw the need firsthand. Aging water and sewer systems, roads, community facilities, and a lack of storm shelters were affecting resident-owned communities across the country. Committee members decided to act.
Three ROC Association Directors traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with House and Senate staff. A meeting scheduled for 20 minutes ran past an hour, as staffers leaned in to hear directly from residents about what infrastructure needs meant for their day-to-day lives.
The directors talked about their communities, about preserving affordable homeownership, and about why investment in resident-owned communities matters for the long term.
Voices that carried beyond Washington
The advocacy didn’t stop at the Capitol. Committee members and residents across the country called and wrote their Senators and Representatives, explaining why PRICE funding mattered. Many invited elected officials and staff to tour their communities, and welcomed them into their homes.
For some policymakers, it was their first visit to a manufactured housing community, and their first time stepping inside a manufactured home. Residents showed them that manufactured housing isn’t just an affordable path to homeownership. It’s home to millions of hardworking Americans, including many of their own constituents.
Residents made the connection clear: these communities, these homeowners, these voters live in the districts these officials represent. The homes may be modest in size, but they hold real stability, affordability, and pride of ownership.
Above all, residents learned something lasting: their voices matter.
In their own words
“Great to see bipartisan support! Everyone deserves safe, affordable housing regardless of political party affiliations. When you work long hours fighting for something, it makes you feel good! Our voice does matter!”
— Marjory G.
“Restoring the PRICE Fund to the Road to Housing is not just a policy fix—it is a renewed commitment to safe, sustainable, and attainable housing for the communities that need it most.”
— Deb W.
“After all the work we did to see this through, what a pay-off!”
— John E.
“Today’s historic victory for manufactured housing community residents is the direct result of all the ROC owner-members that worked so hard contacting Senators and Representatives from day one. Our voices were heard; we do make a difference.”
— Kelly J.
These reflections point to something residents across the country came to believe: they shouldn’t feel intimidated by elected officials or their titles. Senators and Representatives work for the people, and residents have every right to advocate for the communities they call home.
More than a policy win
The authorization of PRICE proves that grassroots advocacy works. It shows what happens when resident homeowners come together, tell their stories, build relationships, and refuse to be ignored.
Today, more than 4 million households across approximately 43,000 manufactured housing communities have reason to celebrate. This victory belongs to every resident who made a call, wrote a letter, attended a meeting, hosted a tour, or shared their story. Their efforts helped Congress see the value of manufactured housing communities and the importance of investing in affordable homeownership.
The message from resident homeowners was simple, and powerful: these may be small homes, but they are our homes. And our voices matter.
