Research and Publications
Most manufactured home communities are commercially owned. In a commercially owned manufactured home community, residents own their homes but not the land beneath them. When residents own the land as a cooperative, their housing is significantly more secure, especially from uncontrollable increases in monthly site fees. ROC USA’s impactful work helping homeowner groups purchase their manufactured home communities to transform them into Resident Owned Communities has drawn the interest of scholars, policymakers and more.
From case studies to academic research, explore the wealth of knowledge showcasing the benefits and successes of ROCs.
Research Items & Case Studies
Harvard Examines Barriers to Expanded Use
of MH for Entry-Level Homeownership
Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies digs into the barriers inhibiting the widespread adoption as an affordable homeownership solution. Despite notable improvements in quality, negative perceptions persist alongside zoning restrictions, market conditions and financing challenges. The findings underscore the need for comprehensive strategies to overcome these obstacles.
Manufactured Housing’s Ability to Boost Stability, Wealth Tied to Land Ownership
ABT Associates examines the significance of manufactured housing for affordable homeownership and the challenges for residents in investor-owned communities. The policy brief highlights the benefits of cooperative ownership, while offering actionable steps for policymakers, philanthropists, lenders and federal agencies to expand resident ownership opportunities.
Regulatory and Market Barriers Hinder Manufactured Housing Placement
SSG Community Solutions explores the evolving landscape of manufactured housing placement within zoning and land use laws, which have left manufactured housing highly segregated from other types of housing. Despite misconceptions, modern manufactured housing offers quality, affordability and adaptability to various communities. The paper highlights both facilitative and restrictive regulations at federal, state and local levels.
ROC USA’s Model Empowers Communities, Reduces Costs and Boosts Home Values
The Transform Finance report explores how investments can be reshaped to give BIPOC and working-class communities more control and agency. There are many Community Power and Wealth Building organizations providing meaningful input and governance roles for grassroots stakeholders, but ROC USA is demonstrating what it looks like on a national scale.
Resident Ownership Fosters Stability, Equity
and Community Engagement in MHCs
The Colorado Health Institute’s report explores the strong link between housing and health in Colorado. It highlights 11 solutions for those looking to develop policies that address housing insecurity. The first strategy is to convert manufactured home parks into resident-owned communities to benefit low-income residents, people in rural areas, communities of color and families with children.
ROCs Have the Potential to Materially Improve the Lives of their Residents
The Freddie Mac report on ROCs underscores the significance of these communities as one of the few sources of unsubsidized naturally occurring affordable housing in the country, not subject to market-based rent increases. The report highlights how ROCs provide stability and affordability to residents while fostering a sense of community ownership and empowerment.
ROC Purchase Provides Long-Term Financial, Community Security to Oaxacan Families
When Comunidad Nuevo Lago in Fresno, Calif., a 60-home community of largely Mixteco farmworkers was acquired by a new commercial investor in 2019, they quickly were handed a 57 percent increase in site-rent and new pass-through fees. The residents’ purchase in 2024 signifies more than financial liberation — it embodies generational housing affordability, wealth-building, community empowerment and preservation of cultural heritage.
NHCLF’s Trailblazing Brought Mainstream Lenders to ROC Acquisition Financing
Two university professors examine the successful introduction and adoption of land acquisition loans for ROCs by the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund. Through a thorough analysis of loan records and more, the study demonstrates how the effective introduction of this financial product, coupled with its excellent loan performance, led mainstream financial institutions to adopt the loan product.