According to the Curry County Assessor in Oregon, 25 to 30 percent of all the housing stock in the county is manufactured housing (MH), and roughly half of those were built before 1980. While the Housing and Urban Development—HUD Code–standards took effect in 1976, minimum regulations that initially covered MH were hardly sufficient to make the homes last three decades, especially in an area like Curry that gets a lot of moisture. Rotting floors, extensive mold and poorly insulated homes create health risks for the occupants, according to the local health department. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute reports manufactured homes built before 1980 use 53 percent more energy than other types of homes. In July, the county forged a partnership with non-profit NeighborWorks Umpqua to begin an initiative called reHome Oregon, with the goal of replacing 25 aged MH with new, Energy Star models. The collaboration will use grant funds to remove and demolish the old units, and will seek discounted home prices and transport costs from manufactured home producers, as earthfix.opb.org informs MHProNews. Finally, reHome Oregon aims to help residents purchase the new homes through the U. S. Department of Rural Development Housing Program and the Network for Affordable Housing.
