During National Manufactured Housing Week, June 15-19, FAHE continues dispelling myths and opening the doors of homeownership to all income levels, by improving housing usually ignored in community development, manufactured housing.  FAHE started a performance compact in 2006 to help homebuyers purchase quality, energy-effiecient manufactured homes with fair and affordable mortgage financing.

Manufactured housing is a significant source of affordable housing that opens the doors to homeownership for families, who in many of the nation’s housing markets, cannot afford to buy a site-built home. FAHE is part of a national initiative, Innovations in Manufactured Homes (I’M HOME), which seeks to ensure that the more than 17 million Americans living in manufactured homes can reap the same benefits of homeownership as families who buy other kinds of homes. I’M HOME supports programs, like FAHE across the country that are helping families who choose manufactured homes make sure these are good investments.

FAHE is working with a network of housing nonprofits across Appalachia to deliver quality, energy-efficient homes with fair financing. By working together, FAHE is piloting a hub-and-spoke delivery system, where the aggregated dealer, Frontier Housing, is the dealer for other nonprofits across the Central Appalachian region. In the past year, the initiative has expanded beyond Kentucky into Virginia and Tennessee, offering exclusive home designs through Clayton Homes, a national leader in manufactured homes. Thanks to Frontier Housing, other nonprofits can offer these homes even though they are not a traditional retailer.

“We’re about helping more nonprofits delivery housing solutions that let homebuyers choose the best option for them” says Jim King, President and CEO of FAHE. “Buying a home is a long-term investment. When buyers have quality products to choose from and fair financing, it deepens their commitment to being a success homeowner, whether it’s built on-site or in a factory. We offer a package where the home, the set and the financing are all comparable to those of on-site construction. That way, families know what they are getting and can compare apples to apples, in terms of buying and selling their homes.” The homes being offered put a special emphasis on energy efficiency. “Our product offers the best quality and energy efficiency of any manufactured home in our local marketplace. They are designed to keep energy costs low, because it is a smart way to guarantee that the home stays affordable.”

Now in its fifth year, I’M HOME is working across the nation with over 30 community partners developing attractive new housing and replacing dilapidated homes; changing the way manufactured homes are financed; working with families who live in “parks,” where there are special challenges; and working with policymakers to make sure the same benefits and protections are available to everyone who buys a home, regardless of how it’s built.

“Manufactured homes not only provide long-term, lower-cost housing, but they can also help build financial security for millions of families through ownership,” said Kathryn Gwatkin Goulding, the Director of I’M HOME. “Manufactured Housing Week is an opportunity to bring awareness across the country that there is a great opportunity to create better quality, better financed housing in this very large market.”