In New Jersey Manufactured Housing is the largest source of unsubsidized affordable housing. Many factors make the preservation and revitalization of these homes problematic. MHOA-NJ is supportive of the many efforts that are being made to keep our communities intact and to secure our homeownership and equity. Currently a large number of manufactured housing communities are facing closure or change of use. This is an extreme hardship for the people living in these communities. In New Jersey we have some protective legislation that was designed to encourage homeowners to purchase their communities when landlords wanted to sell the community and change it to a different use. These legislative protection has not proved to be so protective, as no communities in New Jersey have been converted to resident ownership. At the same time closure rates for communities have increased dramatically.
Recently there has been a big push to assist homeowners in purchasing and operating there communities as cooperatives. In some states this has become common place but New Jersey lags behind other places in permanently protecting manufactured housing community residents and preserving these affordable homes. In May 2008, READS of New Jersey became one of nine Certified Technical Assistance Providers (CTAPs) under the national ROC USA network. ROC USA and its affiliate, the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, are non-profits with over 25 years of experience combining expert technical assistance with specialized purchase. financing for resident corporations. The National Consumer Law Center has produced a compendium of the MH laws across America that protect homeowners and help to foster resident conversion from leasehold to community owner.