The speech has not yet been released by HUD to the news media, but MHProNews has the video, and comments from HUD Secretary Ben Carson posted just today.
Manufactured homes are specifically mentioned in the second half of this address, as was the Innovations in Housing Showcase on the National Mall in the first week of June 2019.
But the entire address is vintage Carson. Soft spoken, reaching out to those who may see things differently, looking for cures to the problems that Americans face in affordable home ownership. To have manufactured homes brought up in this context is tremendous.
Here are some of Secretary Carson’s tweets today:
- Good morning from Atlanta! I’m in @HUDSoutheast to join the Emerging Strategies in Affordable Housing Expo and talk about innovation in housing with our community partners. #Strategies4AffordableHousing
- Few programs in modern history have the potential to change so many lives as #OpportunityZones, which are home to nearly 35 million Americans — including 2.4 million @HUDgov -assisted individuals— in all 50 states, D.C. and five U.S. territories. #Strategies4AffordableHousing
- If “necessity is the mother of innovation,” America’s affordable housing challenges have created the impetus for a powerful wave of American ingenuity— in the form of an amazing array of new home building technologies, techniques and materials. #Strategies4AffordableHousing
Secretary Carson addressed the causes of the 2008 housing/mortgage crisis, and spoke about why black homeownership rates are in several ways tied to ‘well intentioned’ but failed efforts to get people into homes that they couldn’t afford. He said that was misguided compassion.
He jokes about his own personality, ‘this is about as excited as I ever look,’ as the modest yet accomplished HUD Secretary says that the nation can’t count only on super-moms, and must have effective structural supports when those super-moms are missing. He praised the HUD staff, and pointed to the many under-reported accomplishments at HUD achieved in the past 2 years.
He spoke at the end movingly about the need for God and good will in our society. Applause broke out during that later part of his address.
Summary and Takeaways
Start to finish, it’s a thoughtful address, laced with facts useful for making the case for manufactured housing. As conventional housing is bucking headwinds, due to cost and payments, the clear need for manufactured homes is being made evident.
No HUD Secretary in the 21st century has done more to promote manufactured homes, period. It isn’t even close.
Once HUD provides Secretary Carson’s speech today as written, MHProNews and/or MHLivingNews will plan to provide it.
That’s tonight’s final look at “News Through the Lens of Manufactured Homes, and Factory-Built Housing” © where “We Provide, You Decide.” © ## (News, analysis, and commentary.)
Soheyla is a managing member of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC, the parent company to MHProNews, and MHLivingNews.com. Connect with us on LinkedIn here and here.
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