“Throughout 2023, OPB [Oregon Public Broadcasting, a Public Broadcasting System (PBS) affiliate] is taking a deep look at the biggest social and economic challenges facing Oregon today – their origins, their impacts and possible solutions. This week, we’re looking at the root causes of and possible solutions to homelessness.” OPB’s fascinating probe into homelessness has state, regional, and national implications. For example, perhaps half of the homeless in the U.S. live in California. Left-leaning CNN reported on 7.11.2023 that “California has spent billions to fight homelessness. The problem has gotten worse.” From the vantagepoint of manufactured housing, as this “News through the Lens of Manufactured Homes and Factory Built Housing” © report and analysis will systematically develop several revelations significant to our industry’s professionals and advocates, in part by using artificial intelligence (AI).
Deploying AI on aspects of topics raised by OPB’s Alex Zielinski articles on homelessness confirms several facets of their findings. But they also illuminate other interwoven issues that highlight both the obstacles and opportunities for manufactured housing professionals.
Note that the stated approach taken by OPB is twofold: “looking at the root causes of and possible solutions.” What are the causes or contributing factors and what are the possible solutions sets this form of journalism apart from yet another story that shines a light on a topic that some don’t want to consider, because solutions seem to be lacking.
- Part I of this Part I of this report, analysis and commentary are excerpts from Zielinski’s two-part report, linked here and here.
- Part II will be additional information with MHProNews analysis and commentary
- Part III of this article is our Daily Business News on MHProNews featuring over two dozen manufactured home connected equities and our signature left (CNN) right (Newsmax) review of ‘market moving’ headline news.
With that outline, in mind, let’s dive into Zielinski’s insights into the causes and cures for homelessness for OPB.
Part I
“How homelessness in Oregon started, grew and became a statewide crisis”
Candi Silvis is one of the nearly 18,000 Oregonians who experienced homelessness in 2022, stated OPB’s Zielinski. Silvis’ “story reflects some of the biggest factors contributing to the state’s growing crisis.” Silvis is described as a woman who had an abusive relationship and experienced a range of challenges as a result of moving out. She was “told to wait” from several places she applied for help as Silvis sought to make her modest means provide shelter, which included sleeping in her car at times. Silvis reportedly turned to alcohol to dull the anxiety of wondering what was next for her quest for shelter, showers, and meals. After three years of moving between overnight stays in often unsafe circumstances, Silvis got a housing voucher from Washington County. The stability that followed getting an apartment gave her hope. “It’s surreal,” Silvis told OPB. “I can go for a walk and know that I have something to come back to. I feel like I have a future.”
According to 2022 U.S. Census data, Oregon has the nation’s highest rate of chronic homelessness – a term for people who’ve been homeless for more than one year or multiple times over several years. Homelessness can also be harder to escape when paired with other personal challenges, like addiction or domestic violence.
The most effective solution to homelessness is housing. Yet Oregon has failed for decades to develop enough housing to meet its growing population.
Oregon has the fourth largest homeless population per capita in the country, after D.C., California and Vermont, according to the census, and it’s growing at an above-average pace.”
“As the homeless population grows, so do the unique needs of people seeking to escape homelessness, making the crisis appear even more intractable. The path out of Oregon’s homelessness crisis isn’t simple, nor is it direct. But solutions do exist. To uncover them, it’s important to first understand the origins of this crisis.” …
At the end of the 19th century, Portland relied on low-wage migrant workers – employed as loggers, warehouse workers, longshoreman and more – to keep its economy afloat. But these workers couldn’t afford to buy a house in Portland. So the city constructed short-term lodging houses, which became known as single room occupancy hotels (SROs), to house them for cheap. These hotels offered single rooms for around 35 cents a night ($12 in 2023 rates) with communal kitchens and bathrooms.
As migration slowed, and longtime laborers moved into more permanent housing, these hotels became more permanent rest stops for the poorest Portlanders. Some impoverished Oregonians at the turn of the century also moved to poor farms – or institutions run by counties for “indigent citizens” who were unable to take care of themselves.” …
But in the 1950s and ‘60s, Portland began tearing down these hotels as part of a national shift toward urban renewal, where cities leveled poor and minority neighborhoods to make way for higher-end housing, businesses and other development meant to spur economic growth. According to an inventory created by the nonprofit Northwest Pilot Project, downtown Portland lost more than 2,000 rental units affordable to minimum-wage workers between 1978 and 2015. Many of them were SROs. The nonprofit estimated that, in 2015, around 3,100 apartments with rent below $481 — affordable for a minimum wage earner at the time — remained in downtown Portland. Most of those buildings were operated by Central City Concern or other publicly-funded housing programs. It’s not clear how many of those units remain nearly a decade later.
This mass destruction of low-income housing came as the federal government flip-flopped on public housing. In 1968, the Housing and Urban Development Act established programs that help low-income people buy homes and afford mortgages, along with a rental assistance program for low-income tenants. Just five years later, President Richard Nixon issued a moratorium on all public housing spending. The dismantling of social service programs for low-income families paired with back-to-back recessions in the decade to follow only worsened the outcomes for low–income Oregonians.
These multiple blows to public and affordable housing programs “created a direct path to mass shelters,” according to Ed Blackburn, the former executive director of homeless service provider Central City Concern. The nonprofit was established in 1979 to help preserve SRO buildings and turn some of them into recovery housing to address the growing number of people with alcohol addiction living on downtown streets.” …
Oregon began shutting down its large psychiatric facilities and poor farms in the 1980s and ‘90s after reports revealed inhumane treatment of patients. The state’s plan was to replace these institutions with smaller, community-based treatment facilities. That never happened. Instead, rising housing and health care costs forced many people with serious mental illnesses into homelessness.
Then came the heroin epidemic.
The largely religious-based homeless shelters that opened after the low-income hotels were razed generally tolerated people with alcohol dependencies. But they began creating zero-tolerance rules for visitors addicted to heroin.
“So we started seeing more and more heroin-addicted people living and dying on the streets,” Blackburn said.
The 1990s also saw a surge in Black Americans entering homelessness, in Oregon and beyond. This was spurred by the federal government’s war on drugs, which disproportionately incarcerated Black Americans, and gentrification of Black neighborhoods, splintering families and communities.” …
As rents skyrocketed in Oregon cities in the past decade, some people experiencing homelessness moved to smaller Oregon towns seeking affordable housing and work – which didn’t always pan out. Others born and raised in smaller communities simply found they could no longer afford rent or a mortgage in their hometown, and moved into a tent or car. Like in cities, this crisis was worsened by a lack of housing. Available housing evaporated as formerly affordable homes turned into lucrative vacation rentals in small coastal towns. It continued to shrink when new construction failed to bounce back in small communities after the 2008 recession, despite population growth.
While homelessness first appeared in Oregon’s larger cities, it’s now taken root across the state. In 2022, Oregon ranked among the states with the largest rural homeless populations in the country, with an estimated 3,208 rural Oregonians living outside on a given evening.” …
“There are many factors that contributed to Oregon’s current homelessness crisis. But most agree that the blame largely falls on one problem: the state’s affordable housing shortage.” …
“It’s not rocket science,” said Marisa Zapata, an urban planning professor at Portland State University. Zapata is also the director of PSU’s Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative, which studies the factors that lead to homelessness.
“It doesn’t really matter what lens you look at it through,” she said. “Escalation of housing values and rising rents is what causes homelessness.”
According to state analysts, Oregon’s current housing supply is short roughly 140,000 homes to meet the demands of its population size. This places the state fourth in the country in terms of under-producing housing. This shortage has taken a toll on low-income Oregonian renters. Because of the limited housing inventory, landlords are able to keep rents high. This has allowed Oregon to become one of the states with the lowest supply of rentals affordable to people at or below poverty levels.” …
It can be easier to assume someone’s homelessness is rooted in individual failures or circumstances. But while mental health, drug addiction, and poverty can influence a person’s housing status, they aren’t a direct cause.
Cities with high poverty rates, like Detroit and Philadelphia, have some of the lowest homelessness rates in the country, while wealthier cities like Seattle and San Francisco have some of the highest homelessness rates. At the same time, states like West Virginia rank highest in drug overdose deaths, while having one of the smallest homeless populations in the country.
“If you simply look across the country and you see where the rates of homelessness are the highest, they’re in the parts of the country that have allowed their housing markets to overheat,” said John Tapogna, a senior policy analyst at economic consulting firm ECONorthwest (Tapogna is a member of OPB’s board of directors).
It’s more likely that personal challenges like a mental health crisis, job loss or a personal injury act as a turning point for people who are already facing housing instability.” …
“Chronic homelessness is uniquely challenging to interrupt because of the effect the experience has on the way a person thinks. Living in constant high alert can put someone in a constant state of “flight, fight or freeze,” where their brain’s fear center is overactive. This dulls the brains’ prefrontal cortex, which regulates critical thinking and emotions.” …
OPB cited insights from Brandi Tuck, the director of Path Home, a Portland nonprofit operating a shelter for homeless families that helps move them into permanent housing.
“When someone experiences homelessness for days, weeks, months or years, our brains stay in that chemical stress response the whole time,” Tuck said. “We can’t show up to appointments on time. We can’t keep a job. We can’t even understand the rules of a shelter that are being told to us because our cognitive brain is offline through this chemical reaction.” Tuck said the stress is harder on children. Fear stunts brain growth and sets them back “years” in development.
“Oregon is home to an estimated 3,373 homeless people who are in families with children – a population that surged by 27% between 2020 and 2022. And Oregon has the nation’s highest percentage of homeless families that are living completely unsheltered – meaning they aren’t sleeping in a shelter, hotel or other temporary housing while experiencing homelessness.” ##
Having set the stage by reviewing some of the history of homelessness in Oregon, Alex Zielinski for OPB next examined solutions in an article dated 10.10.2023.
Here are some solutions to homelessness in Oregon
For widowed Ilene Burns, 60, the unexpected death of her husband led to three years of sleeping in a car on or sidewalk, waiting for her name to come up on a list for supportive housing. “I’m not going to lie. It was scary for a single woman living by herself,” Burns said. “I was so afraid of closing my eyes at night. I pretty much just kept to myself. And I just prayed.”
Permanent supportive housing is a model that combines housing with any support services that someone who has been homeless for a long time may need to stay housed. That could include anything from job training programs to on-site substance abuse treatment to child care.
Burns moved into her supportive apartment complex, called the Hattie Redmond, in March. Since then, staff have helped her get new identification cards to replace ones she lost when her wallet was stolen while she lived outside. They’ve helped her with the expungement process to clear her criminal record – a 2014 charge for not paying transit fare – and are now laying the groundwork for Burns to apply for nursing school.
“We check in every other week to see where I’m at with my goals,” Burns said.” …
Permanent supportive housing is one of many solutions working to address Oregon’s homelessness crisis, where nearly 18,000 Oregonians lived without housing in 2022. While most agree that Oregon’s housing shortage is the clear cause of the state’s surging homelessness crisis, it could take decades to resolve. In the short-term, solutions like supportive housing, shelters, villages and rent support offer temporary – and permanent – refuge. While data is limited on the success of these relatively new solutions, it’s clear that they help pave the way out of Oregon’s homelessness crisis.”
>Delanya Clarkson, 49, found her way out of homelessness through a tiny home shelter program called Opportunity Village. The colorful cluster of 30 sleeping pods is located in West Eugene, and has offered transitional housing to locals for a decade. Tenants originally were responsible for $35 in rent, but they are now only required to work a few hours a week on projects around the village to keep it running – like cleaning bathrooms or operating the front gate.
Tenants have access to free laundry, showers and a communal kitchen, which is regularly stocked with provisions from the Lane County Food Bank. There’s no time limit to their tenancy, as long as they regularly meet with a program housing coordinator to work toward applying to more permanent housing. The program has a two-year-long waitlist.” …
“Since early 2022, the city of Portland has operated several Safe Rest Villages, which are small shelters akin to Eugene’s Opportunity Village. In May, the city reported that more than 50% of all Safe Rest Village residents have moved into stable housing.”
All told, there are some 7100 plus words in the two OPB reports, plus several photographs. Their research into solutions mentioned taxpayer supported apartments, SRO facilities, tiny houses, pallet and bungalow shelters, and more. Completely unmentioned in either report was the words “manufactured home” “prefab” “manufactured housing” “factory-built housing” or even the dated and often errantly used term “mobile home.” Near the conclusion of their solutions reports where these statements.
According to the National Homeless Law Center, Oregon is one of the three states that don’t have a state law criminalizing homelessness. But it’s found other ways to penalize people experiencing homelessness at the local level.
In 2017, Eugene Weekly found that a quarter of all people arrested in Eugene in the past year were homeless. These arrests were largely misdemeanors linked to basic survival for people living outside, like trespassing, drinking in public and violating park rules. In 2022, an investigation by Reveal found that, over the course of four years, half of all arrests made by Portland police were of people experiencing homelessness. Like in Eugene, these arrests were mostly tied to low-level violations or bench warrants for missed court appearances
Removing someone experiencing homelessness from the public eye may temporarily appear to erase homelessness, but research shows it only exacerbates someone’s time living unsheltered. A criminal record can be a barrier to housing, employment and public benefits, making homelessness harder to escape.
It’s also costly. In the Oregon Department of Corrections, holding one person in prison costs the state roughly $140 per day – or $51,000 yearly.
Housing, not handcuffs
Housing production remains the clearest way out of Oregon’s homelessness crisis.
According to state analysts, Oregon needs to produce 554,691 new housing units in the next 20 years to keep pace with demand – and to account for the current underproduction. An estimated 32% of those units, or 176,3000, must be affordable to households that are earning less than 60% of statewide median income, which was $70,084 in 2021.
State leadership is listening.
Not long after entering office in January, Gov. Tina Kotek passed an executive order establishing a statewide goal to produce about 36,000 units of housing each year for the next ten years. Months later, state lawmakers passed a $200 million legislative package to help fund new construction, move 1,200 homeless people into supportive housing, fund rent assistance for people at risk of homelessness, and more. Some $26 million of that package is reserved for rural communities, with $80 million going to the state’s most populated regions. The legislation also required cities with a population greater than 10,000 to set targets for building affordable housing to meet future growth needs.” …##
Part II – Additional Information with More MHProNews Analysis and Commentary
As was noted, not one word out of over 7100 in the two articles mentioned the notion that access to more manufactured housing could be a solution to the routinely tragic and costly problems caused by a lack of affordable housing. To emphasize some of OPB’s statements, the relevance of manufactured housing will be brought into clearly focus.
- “It’s not rocket science,” said Marisa Zapata, an urban planning professor at Portland State University. “It doesn’t really matter what lens you look at it through,” she said. “Escalation of housing values and rising rents is what causes homelessness.”
- “The most effective solution to homelessness is housing.”
- “These multiple blows to public and affordable housing programs “created a direct path to mass shelters,” according to Ed Blackburn, the former executive director of homeless service provider Central City Concern.”
- “There are many factors that contributed to Oregon’s current homelessness crisis. But most agree that the blame largely falls on one problem: the state’s affordable housing shortage.”
- “Housing production remains the clearest way out of Oregon’s homelessness crisis.”
There are obviously nuances which make individual circumstances unique. But an objective look at what Alex Zielinski’s report for OPB unearthed can support the notion that local, state, and federal government intervention in housing was often problematic. Public policies ‘flip flop’ is an issue. Another word not mentioned in the 7100+ combined words in the two articles is the impact of exclusionary zoning which often makes producing or placing more affordable housing, such as modern manufactured homes, easier.
To illustrate both the accuracy of the insights from OPB, but also to highlight what this report doesn’t address, a Q&A thread with Bing’s AI Chat was opened by MHProNews. This chat thread will make several points on how manufactured housing could be part of the solution to this problem in Oregon and beyond. Following the AI chat thread will be linked information on prior reports by MHLivingNews and/or MHProNews on aspects of the homelessness problem, because HUD’ data reveals that despite record federal spending, homelessness is getting worse in the U.S., just as it has in states like Oregon and California.
Exploring Homelessness, Causes and Possible Cures Using AI
There are a range of images and thoughts when it comes to the homeless crisis. Among them is the notion that the homeless are often alcoholics or drug addicted. While that may be true in some cases, a question merits examination. Which came first? The addiction, or the homelessness?
MHProNews asked Bing’s AI Chat the following.
> “Oregon PBS has done a report that says that the biggest factor contributing to homelessness is the lack of affordable housing. Is that true nationally, or just in Oregon?”
While I could not find a direct answer to your question, it is safe to say that the lack of affordable housing is a nationwide issue. The National Alliance to End Homelessness reports that 11 million households spend more than one-half of their income on rent. And a recent Harvard study reports that 38.1 million households spend more than one-third of their income on housing 1.
I hope this information helps.
Learn more:
- endhomelessness.org 2. bing.com 3. usich.gov 4. endhomelessness.org 5. endhomelessness.org 6. usa.gov 7. testbig.com 8. pvhabitat.org 9. bing.com 10. capeco-works.org 11. salemhousingor.com 12. nwhousing.org 13. unityshelter.org 14. opb.org 15. opb.org 16. oregon.gov 17. oregon.gov“
> “Addiction is often mentioned as a problem among the homeless. But is there research that answers the question – which comes first? Is it the addiction that results in homelessness, or is it homelessness that leads to addiction?”
According to a 2008 survey, addiction is the biggest reason for becoming homeless in single adults 1. However, it is also true that homelessness can lead to addiction. The lack of stability that comes with homelessness can lead to addiction. At the same time, those battling addictions are more likely to become homeless 2.
I hope this information helps.
Learn more:
- addictionresource.com2. addictiongroup.org3. bing.com4. disorders.org5. drugrehab.com6. sunrisehouse.com7. whitesandstreatment.com8. anawimhouse.com9. bing.com10. therecoveryvillage.com11. psycnet.apa.org12. americanaddictioncenters.org“
> “What about homelessness among couples or families?”
Homelessness can have a tremendous impact on children – their education, health, sense of safety, and overall development. Children experiencing homelessness have been shown to have higher levels of emotional and behavioral problems and increased risk of serious health problems. They are also more likely to experience separations from their families and experience more school mobility, repeat a grade, be expelled or drop out of school, and have lower academic performance 1.
I hope this information helps.
Learn more:
> “So far, I don’t see an indication that your sources have mentioned a lack of affordable manufactured homes as being a factor in the homeless crisis. But if a lack of affordable housing is a common contributing factor for homelessness, then isn’t it logical that the availability of more manufactured homes should be part of the solution?”
Tiny homes have also been proposed as a solution for the homelessness crisis. These tiny home structures are cheaper and easier to build than traditional temporary housing, and they usually provide houseless people with a room of their own 2.
It is important to note that while increasing the availability of affordable housing is an important step in addressing homelessness, it is not a complete solution. Other factors such as mental health, addiction, and job loss can also contribute to homelessness 2.
I hope this information helps.
Learn more:
- apartmentlist.com 2. businessinsider.com 3. bing.com 4. opb.org 5. abc.net.au 6. theatlantic.com 7. endhomelessness.org”
> “Given that a lack of affordable housing is an issue, isn’t it logical to help individuals and families avoid homelessness in the first place? If that is so, doesn’t it make sense to make more manufactured homes accessible a practical solution?”
However, it is important to note that manufactured homes may not be a viable solution for everyone. Some people may prefer to live in traditional homes or apartments, and others may face zoning restrictions or other barriers to living in manufactured homes 2.
In addition to increasing the availability of affordable housing, other solutions such as rental assistance programs, supportive services, and job training programs can also help prevent homelessness 3.
I hope this information helps.
Learn more:
- apartmentlist.com 2. businessinsider.com 3. endhomelessness.org 4. bing.com 5. opb.org 6. abc.net.au 7. theatlantic.com”
> “Pardon me, but first there is a legal distinction between mobile home and manufactured homes, which Apartment List may have overlooked That noted, zoning restrictions as a barrier to manufactured home living is one of the reasons that the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 (MHIA) and its enhanced preemption provision was enacted, right? If that is so, and consider the point that manufactured homes are about half the cost of new conventional construction, isn’t applying the enhanced preemption provision of the MHIA an important part of the solution to the affordable housing crisis?”
The Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 (MHIA) was enacted to improve the quality and affordability of manufactured homes and to protect the rights of manufactured homeowners. The MHIA includes an “enhanced preemption” provision that gives HUD the authority to preempt local zoning barriers that tend to limit affordable housing 2.
Increasing the availability of affordable housing, including manufactured homes, could be a practical solution to the problem of homelessness. According to a report by Apartment List, mobile homes are the largest source of unsubsidized affordable housing in the US, providing shelter for one in ten households living below the poverty line 3.
However, it is important to note that manufactured homes may not be a viable solution for everyone. Some people may prefer to live in traditional homes or apartments, and others may face zoning restrictions or other barriers to living in manufactured homes 2.
In addition to increasing the availability of affordable housing, other solutions such as rental assistance programs, supportive services, and job training programs can also help prevent homelessness 4.
I hope this information helps.
Learn more:
- forbes.com 2. einnews.com 3. manufacturedhomepronews.com 4. homenation.com 5. bing.com 6. manufacturedhomepronews.com 7. bing.com 8. thespruce.com 9. manufacturedhomes.com 10. championhomes.com 11. housingmatters.urban.org 12. huduser.gov 13. hud.gov 14. federalfinancialrelief.com 15. dol.gov”
> “Pardon me, but I have some training in logic. Sure, some would rather have a conventionally ‘site built’ house, and some may prefer living in an apartment. But research by Scholastica “Gay’ Cororaton with the National Association of Realtors (NAR) in 2018 revealed that most renters could afford the payments for a manufactured home. Freddie Mac research in 2022 indicated that some 25-26 million renters are “mortgage ready” and could qualify to buy a manufactured home. Logically that means that millions that may face homelessness could be buying a manufactured home and save money. Furthermore, some could more readily afford to rent a manufactured home than they could rent an apartment or single-family home. Doesn’t the research support those points? So, if zoning barriers and lack of affordable housing are the issues, then access to more manufactured homes ought to be part of the solution and the federal legislation needed already exists, right?”
Increasing the availability of affordable housing, including manufactured homes, could be a practical solution to the problem of homelessness. According to a report by Apartment List, mobile homes are the largest source of unsubsidized affordable housing in the US, providing shelter for one in ten households living below the poverty line 2.
The Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 (MHIA) was enacted to improve the quality and affordability of manufactured homes and to protect the rights of manufactured homeowners. The MHIA includes an “enhanced preemption” provision that gives HUD the authority to preempt local zoning barriers that tend to limit affordable housing 3.
However, it is important to note that manufactured homes may not be a viable solution for everyone. Some people may prefer to live in traditional homes or apartments, and others may face zoning restrictions or other barriers to living in manufactured homes 1.
In addition to increasing the availability of affordable housing, other solutions such as rental assistance programs, supportive services, and job training programs can also help prevent homelessness 4.
I hope this information helps.
Learn more:
- forbes.com 2. thespruce.com 3. einnews.com 4. bing.com 5. bing.com 6. homenation.com 7. manufacturedhomes.com 8. manufacturedhomepronews.com 9. manufacturedhomepronews.com 10. championhomes.com 11. housingmatters.urban.org 12. huduser.gov 13. hud.gov 14. federalfinancialrelief.com 15. dol.gov”
> “What sources can you identify that explore and explain the utility of getting HUD to enforce the “enhanced preemption” provision of the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 (MHIA)?”
Another source, Manufactured Home Living News, reports that for almost two decades after the passage of the MHIA, the enhanced preemption provision has been woefully underenforced. Given the inevitable surge in the need for more affordable homes, and HUD Secretary Carson’s repeatedly stated support for the use of more manufactured housing, it is important to enforce this provision 2.
I hope this information helps.
Learn more:
- manufacturedhousingassociationregulatoryreform.org 2. manufacturedhomepronews.com 3. bing.com 4. manufacturedhomepronews.com 5. manufacturedhomepronews.com 6. bing.com7. hud.gov 8. einnews.com 9. manufacturedhomepronews.com 10. manufacturedhomepronews.com 11. manufacturedhousingassociationregulatoryreform.org 12. homeguides.sfgate.com 13. hud.gov 14. uk.style.yahoo.com 15. hud.gov”
> “While William “Bill” Boor didn’t use the term “enhanced preemption” in his July 14, 2023 testimony to Congress, he did say that HUD needs to enforce federal preemption under the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act swiftly and consistently. Doing so would obviously be good for the manufactured home industry, but it would also be an important part of the solution to the affordable housing crisis, right? As you’ve mentioned Bing, manufactured homes are the most proven source of affordable home ownership in the U.S. Even people below the poverty line have and can own a manufactured home. So, to reduce homelessness and increase the benefits of home ownership for potentially millions of renters with little or no taxpayer expense, doesn’t a robust enforcement of the MHIA’s enhanced preemption provision made good sense?”
Manufactured homes are a proven source of affordable home ownership in the US, providing shelter for one in ten households living below the poverty line 2. However, it is important to note that manufactured homes may not be a viable solution for everyone. Some people may prefer to live in traditional homes or apartments, and others may face zoning restrictions or other barriers to living in manufactured homes 3.
In addition to increasing the availability of affordable housing, other solutions such as rental assistance programs, supportive services, and job training programs can also help prevent homelessness 4.
I hope this information helps.
Learn more:
- manufacturedhousingassociationregulatoryreform.org 2. einnews.com 3. manufacturedhomepronews.com 4. manufacturedhomepronews.com 5. manufacturedhomepronews.com 6. bing.com 7. hud.gov 8. bing.com 9. manufacturedhomepronews.com 10. manufacturedhomepronews.com 11. manufacturedhousingassociationregulatoryreform.org 12. homeguides.sfgate.com 13. hud.gov 14. uk.style.yahoo.com 15. hud.gov”
MHProNews Notes that in the replies to the last two questions, the only manufactured home industry sources that were cited were these.
- The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR).
- Manufactured Home Living News (MHLivingNews.com).
- Manufactured Home Pro News (MHProNews.com).
- Press releases to mainstream media that routinely are associated with one or more of the three (A-C) above.
Let’s note that Bing’s AI said in a follow up said that “I can only provide information that is available through my predefined internal tools.” So, as MHProNews has noted, there are apparent programing limitations for Bing’s AI. Insight was in response to a question about the update on the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) website, which it essentially declined to search specifically to compare the past content to what is publicly available since its recent refresh.
That said, several searches of the MHI website performed by MHProNews in recent years that were then screen captured revealed that MHI failed to use the terms “enhanced preemption” on their own website, even though MHI CEO Lesli Gooch said that they want “enhanced preemption” to be enforced.
> “Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) CEO Lesli Gooch has said in a letter to HUD that they would like to see HUD revise its guidance and enforce the “enhanced preemption” provision of the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000, correct? And Cavco Industries CEO William “Bill” Boor’s remarks to Congress on July 14, 2023 were made on behalf of MHI, correct? Where can I find more information about “enhanced preemption” and those remarks by Gooch and Boor?”
Yes, you are correct. According to a letter from Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) CEO Lesli Gooch to HUD, MHI would like to see HUD revise its guidance and enforce the “enhanced preemption” provision of the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 1.
Cavco Industries CEO William “Bill” Boor’s remarks to Congress on July 14, 2023 were made on behalf of MHI 2.
I found a few sources that discuss the enhanced preemption provision of the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 (MHIA) and its potential utility for affordable housing. According to a report by the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform, the enhanced preemption provision expanded the reach of federal preemption to include state or local “requirements” that interfere with federal “superintendence” of the industry. This includes discriminatory zoning mandates that have the effect of excluding mainstream manufactured homes. The Act’s purposes include expanding the availability and affordability of manufactured housing. The Act’s enhanced federal preemption allows for invalidation of state or local “requirements” that interfere with the accomplishment of the Act’s purposes 3.
I hope this information helps.
Learn more:
- manufacturedhomepronews.com 2. manufacturedhomelivingnews.com 3. manufacturedhomepronews.com 4. fhfa.gov 5. manufacturedhomepronews.com”
The word count, per the software used to create this article says that to this point there are still about 1200 fewer words in this article than in the two from OPB on homelessness. But this Q&A yields for manufactured housing industry professionals, affordable housing advocates, public officials, private investors, and other insights on prevention of homelessness that OPB pointed to yet did not explore. That’s not meant as a hit on OPB. It is rather in large part an implied critique of the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI). How so? Let’s look.
Even before MHI launched their new website, they were touting the claim that they are “elevating housing innovation” and “expanding attainable homeownership.” The screen capture below is dated 05-13-2023, well before MHI’s ‘refresh’ of their website deployed the use the same terminology.
But if MHI has truly elevated the profile of the industry, as they periodically assert, then why didn’t OPB think to mention manufactured housing at all in the context of their report? After all, they said it plainly. Per OPB’s report, a lack of affordable housing is the consensus cause for most homelessness. The research using Bing’s AI indicated something similar. Per Bing: “Increasing the availability of affordable housing, including manufactured homes, could be a practical solution to the problem of homelessness.”
Bing’s AI also said: “The Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 (MHIA) was enacted to improve the quality and affordability of manufactured homes and to protect the rights of manufactured homeowners. The MHIA includes an “enhanced preemption” provision that gives HUD the authority to preempt local zoning barriers that tend to limit affordable housing 3.”
As Bing’s AI system likes to say, these are complex issues that have several interrelated causes and cures. True enough. But it is also true, as the Q&A with Bing’s AI above revealed, that manufactured housing leaders involved at MHI are apparently failing in their respective roles. That is indirectly illustrated by the point that MHARR, MHLivingNews, and MHProNews are routinely the sources for information that MHI and its blogging/trade publishing allies fail to address, for whatever reasons.
The possible role that apparent conflicts of interest play in this matter is another issue that merits understanding, probing, and possible legal action.
Manufactured housing underperformance is not something that harms manufactured housing independents alone. OPB’s report made the lack of affordable housing the top cause for homelessness. That fits with information previously developed by MHProNews from sources as reported.
Part III – is our Daily Business News on MHProNews stock market recap which features our business-daily at-a-glance update of over 2 dozen manufactured housing industry stocks.
This segment of the Daily Business News on MHProNews is the recap of yesterday evening’s market report, so that investors can see at glance the type of topics may have influenced other investors. Thus, our format includes our signature left (CNN Business) and right (Newsmax) ‘market moving’ headlines.
The macro market move graphics below provide context and comparisons for those invested in or tracking manufactured housing connected equities. Meaning, you can see ‘at a glance’ how manufactured housing connected firms do compared to other segments of the broader equities market.
In minutes a day readers can get a good sense of significant or major events while keeping up with the trends that are impacting manufactured housing connected investing.
Reminder: several of the graphics on MHProNews can be opened into a larger size. For instance: click the image and follow the prompts in your browser or device to OPEN In a New Window. Then, in several browsers/devices you can click the image and increase the size. Use the ‘x out’ (close window) escape or back key to return.
Headlines from left-of-center CNN Business – from the evening of 10.10.2023
· Bankman-Fried’s former girlfriend testifies that her crimes ‘were committed with Sam’
· Uniform workers strike outside the General Motors St. Catharines powertrain plant in St. Catharines, Ontario, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. Auto workers walked off the job at three General Motors facilities in Canada early Tuesday after failing to reach agreement with the automaker.
· GM settles strike at Canadian plants
· More Burger King locations could soon look like this
· Israel just shut a gas field near Gaza. Here’s why that matters
· Pepsi products at a convenience store in Crockett, California, US, on Friday, June 16, 2023. PepsiCo Inc. is scheduled to release earnings figures on July 13. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
· Weight loss drugs haven’t hurt Pepsi’s business, CEO says
· Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers form a picket line as they begin a strike nationwide at Kaiser Oakland Medical Center in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. About 75,000 healthcare workers across the country take part in the largest strike in United States history. Workers demand higher wages and solutions to staffing shortage.
· Why Walgreens pharmacy workers are walking off the job
· A customer and salesman look at a vehicle for sale at a Ford dealership in Richmond, California, US, on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023.
· Auto loans are super expensive. Here’s how to shrink your monthly bill
· A laptop keyboard and Twitter X account on Twitter X displayed on a phone screen.
· Elon Musk’s X adds to fog of war at outset of Israel-Hamas conflict
· The climate crisis is coming for your hoppy beer
· After her husband nearly died from heatstroke, she took her fight to the highest levels
· The cost of homeownership spiraled upwards last year. Here’s what happened
· Why America’s strike wave is barely registering on Wall Street
· China’s Country Garden warns of default again as property sales plunge
· The IMF sees greater chance of a ‘soft landing’ for the global economy
· China was hoping for a Golden Week consumption boom. It didn’t happen
· Chevron Australia workers to restart strikes next week after deal talks falter
· Powerball jackpot leaps to $1.73 billion as the prize becomes the second largest in the lottery’s history
· Kaiser Permanente workers warn of potential second strike
· South Korean firms get indefinite waiver on US chip gear supplies to China
· $1.55 billion Powerball Jackpot is up for grabs in Monday night’s drawing
· ‘You are in the line of fire’: What it’s like to be an Israeli reporter covering the unfolding war
· Charles Feeney, retail entrepreneur who gave $8 billion to charity, dies at 92
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below the graphic below or click the image and follow the prompts.
Headlines from right-of-center Newsmax 10.10.2023
· Biden: Hamas Attack ‘Act of Sheer Evil,’ Worse Than ISIS
· President Joe Biden and members of his Cabinet convene Tuesday in the situation room. (White House)
· Israel at War
· Report Falsely Says US Deploying Special Ops Hostage Rescue
· Blinken to Travel to Israel in Display of US Solidarity
· X Vows Strict Response to War Posts. Misinformation Abounds
· Iran Alleged to Plot Hamas Attack on Israel
· Netanyahu Taking ‘Big Steps’ Forming Unity Government
· Israel: Gaza Border Secure; Ground Incursion Next
· DeSantis Slams Biden’s ‘Poor’ Israel Response
· Sen. Tim Scott Calls for Iran Funds Release Probe
· Dems Fear Caucus’ Support for Israel Could Falter
· Napolitano: Is Hamas Using US-Made Weapons? | video
· Iran’s Allies Threaten US Against Action in Israel
· Egypt Tries to Block Mass Exodus From Gaza Border
· UN Rights Chief Condemns Israeli ‘Siege’ of Gaza
· More Israel at War
· The Race for Speaker
· John Gizzi: Could McCarthy Return as Speaker?
· Gizzi: What Does Rep. Kevin McCarthy Do Now?
· Scalise, Jordan Struggle for Speakership; Hern Not Gone
· Tea Party Group Backs Rep. Jordan for Speaker
· House GOP Launches Ad for Blue District Republicans
· Kevin McCarthy Doesn’t Rule Out Running for Speaker | video
· Rep. Lawler: Lack of Speaker Hobbles Israel Response | video
· Poll: Republicans Want Speaker Loyal to Trump
· Newsmax TV
· Huckabee: ‘Biden’s Missing in Action’
· Ex-Israeli Ambassador: Unity Govt ‘Essential’
· Rep. Diaz-Balart: Israel Must ‘Wipe Out’ Hamas | video
· Jerusalem Deputy Mayor: Israel ‘First Stop’ of Proxy War | video
· Rep. Mike Waltz: ‘Iranian Sympathizers’ in Biden WH? | video
· Napolitano: Hamas Might Be Using US-Made Weapons | video
· Fred Fleitz: Hamas Attack Measures Sophisticated | video
· Sen. Lindsey Graham: Israel Should Be Supported | video
· Ric Grenell: World More Dangerous Under Biden | video
· Lara Trump: Pence Blaming Trump for Hamas ‘Insane’ | video
· More Newsmax TV
· Special Counsel: Make Trump Declare Legal Strategy
· Special counsel Jack Smith asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to require former President Donald Trump’s legal team to disclose by December if he plans to use an “advice of counsel” defense in the 2020 election subversion case…. [Full Story]
· Russia Denied UN Human Rights Seat
· Russia was defeated in its bid to regain a seat in the U.N.’s [Full Story]
· Trial Doc: Trump’s Penthouse Smaller Than Claimed
· Donald Trump signed a document 30 years ago that gave the true size [Full Story]
· Pro-Trump Lawyer Fights for Attorney-Client Privilege
· Attorney Kenneth Chesebro, indicted for his alleged role in a plan to [Full Story]
· Special Ops Force Cut ‘Weakens’ National Security
· A Pentagon plan to cut troops from the elite special-operations [Full Story] | Platinum Article
· Fmr MVP Steve Garvey Joins Calif. US Senate Race
· Former baseball MVP Steve Garvey joined the race Tuesday to succeed [Full Story]
· Trump: ‘Big Difference’ Between My Docs Case, Biden’s
· Former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social Tuesday to rail [Full Story]
· Related
· Biden Interviewed in Classified Documents Probe
· Zelenskyy: ‘Good News’ on Ukraine Air Defense
· Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday he had “good [Full Story]
· Related
· Germany Announces $1.1B Ukraine Aid Package
· Zelenskyy: Don’t Let Russia Make Black Sea ‘Dead Zone’
· Ukraine Probes 260 Cases of Alleged Military Abuses
· Putin Slams US Policy Amid Israel-Palestine Violence
· Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday said the surge of [Full Story]
· Related
· Russia Denied UN Human Rights Seat
· Russia Accuses US of Nuclear Testing Site Activity
· Wall Street Journal’s Gershkovich Loses Appeal, Remains in Jail
· House GOP Launches Ad for Blue District Republicans
· A nonprofit advocacy group affiliated with a House Republican super [Full Story]
· Related
· Report: 4 GOP Candidates Attending Romney, Ryan Summit
· Ex-Maryland Gov. Hogan Still Open to Presidential Run
· Will Independents Running Hurt Biden or GOP?
· President Joe Biden’s biggest obstacle to securing a second term may [Full Story] | Platinum Article
· Related
· RNC’s McDaniel: RFK Jr. ‘Democrat in Independent’s Clothing’
· RFK Jr. Drops Dem Bid for White House, Goes Independent
· Amid Increased Labor Strife, Are Democrats the ‘Union Party?’ |Platinum Article]
· Dem Rep. Suozzi Seats Old Seat From Rep. Santos
· Former New York Democrat Rep. Tom Suozzi announced on social media [Full Story]
· US Suspends Niger Military Aid, Training Over Coup
· The United States on Tuesday formally declared the ousting of Niger’s [Full Story]
· Ellison Testifies She, FTX Chief Committed Fraud
· Caroline Ellison, the former chief executive officer of Sam [Full Story]
· Dems Split on Support for Sen. Menendez Challenge
· Senate Democrats remain divided on supporting a primary challenger to [Full Story]
· Boeing 737 MAX Deliveries Lowest Since 2021
· Boeing deliveries of its best-selling 737 MAX fell in September to [Full Story]
· Ex-Wisconsin Justice: Don’t Impeach Liberal Judge
· There should be no effort to impeach a liberal Wisconsin Supreme [Full Story]
· Challenge to Media Defamation Protections Thwarted
· The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear a bid by a [Full Story]
· Kari Lake to Launch US Senate Bid in Arizona
· Arizona Republican Kari Lake, an ally of former President Donald [Full Story]
· Taiwan Seeks ‘Peaceful Coexistence’ With China
· Taiwan seeks “peaceful coexistence” with China with free and [Full Story]
· China May Appoint Senior Official on Fentanyl: Schumer
· China has said it would “look into” appointing a senior official [Full Story]
· Israel: Gaza Border Secure After Massive Airstrikes
· Israel said on Tuesday it had reclaimed control of the Gaza border, [Full Story]
· NHL Bans Pride Tape for 2023-2024 Season
· The National Hockey League banned teams from using Pride Tape for the [Full Story]
· Finland Says Gas Pipeline Damage Likely Deliberate
· A subsea gas pipeline and a telecommunications cable connecting [Full Story]
· New Bill Expands Conservatorship Law in California
· More Californians with untreated mental illness and addiction issues [Full Story]
· Egypt Tries to Block Mass Exodus From Gaza Border
· Egypt is trying to prevent a mass exodus from the Gaza Strip into its [Full Story]
· Tea Party Patriots Backs Jordan for Speaker
· The conservative advocacy group Tea Party Patriots Action endorsed [Full Story]
· Russia Accuses US of Nuclear Testing Site Activity
· Russia accused the United States on Tuesday of carrying out [Full Story]
· White House: US Doesn’t Want Civilian Casualties
· The United States does not want to see innocent civilians killed [Full Story]
· Texas Bused Over 51K Migrants to Major US Cities
· Texas has bused about 51,840 migrants from the border to six major [Full Story]
· Driver Killed in San Francisco Chinese Consulate Crash
· Driver Killed in San Francisco Chinese Consulate Crash
· A car rammed into the Chinese consulate in San Francisco on Monday, [Full Story]
· More Newsfront
· Finance
· Student Loan Repayments Are Back: Here Are Your Options
· A lot has happened since March 13, 2020. That’s the date in which the U.S. Department of Education paused federal loan payments and set the interest rate to 0% as part of their COVID-19 relief program…. [Full Story]
· Fed Will Stay ‘on the Job’ to Reduce Inflation: Waller
· Financial Literacy Classes Bring Math to Life
· Walmart Expands Virtual Healthcare Benefits
· Government Shutdown Averted. But Is That a Good Thing?
· More Finance
· Health
· 1 in 3 at Risk for Newly Identified Heart Syndrome
· The American Heart Association has identified a new medical condition that signifies the strong association between obesity, heart, and kidney disease. The goal of labeling the disorder called cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome, or CKM, is to achieve early diagnosis…… [Full Story]
· COVID Increases Risk for Immune Disorders
· Walmart Expands Virtual Healthcare Benefits
· Flu Shot Linked to 40 Percent Lower Alzheimer’s Risk
· Nutritional Comparison of Cow’s, Plant-Based Milks
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2023 …Berkshire Hathaway is the parent company to Clayton Homes, 21st Mortgage, Vanderbilt Mortgage and other factory-built housing industry suppliers.
· LCI Industries, Patrick, UFPI, and LP each are suppliers to the manufactured housing industry, among others.
· AMG, CG, and TAVFX have investments in manufactured housing related businesses. For insights from third-parties and clients about our publisher, click here.
2022 was a tough year for many stocks. Unfortunately, that pattern held true for manufactured home industry (MHVille) connected stocks too. See the facts, linked above.
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Disclosure. MHProNews holds no positions in the stocks in this report.
· For expert manufactured housing business development or other professional services, click here.
· To sign up in seconds for our industry leading emailed headline news updates, click here.
- Note 1: MHVille means manufactured housing industry, MHVille also means artificially smaller manufactured housing (MH) industry,
- Note 2: Manufactured housing, building, factories, retail, dealers, manufactured home, communities, passive mobile home park investing, suppliers, brokers, finance, financial services, macro-markets, manufactured housing stocks, Manufactured Home Communities Real Estate Investment Trusts, MHC REITs.
That’s a wrap on this installment of “News Through the Lens of Manufactured Homes and Factory-Built Housing” © where “We Provide, You Decide.” © (Affordable housing, manufactured homes, stock, investing, data, metrics, reports, fact-checks, analysis, and commentary. Third-party images or content are provided under fair use guidelines for media.) (See Related Reports, further below. Text/image boxes often are hot-linked to other reports that can be access by clicking on them.)
By L.A. “Tony” Kovach – for MHProNews.
Tony earned a journalism scholarship along with numerous awards in history. There have been several awards, honors and numerous public recognitions for his achievements in manufactured housing. For example, he earned the prestigious Lottinville Award in history from the University of Oklahoma, where he studied history and business management. Kovach is a managing member and co-founder of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC, the parent company to MHProNews, and MHLivingNews.com, which is ranked as the runaway most read trade media in modern manufactured housing history. This article reflects the LLC’s and/or the writer’s editorial views and may or may not reflect the views of sponsors or supporters.
