The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) presses HUD for Specific Inclusion of HUD-Regulated Manufactured Housing in New Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rule.
MHARR is Protecting the American Dream of Home Ownership – per their website. MHARR brings Consumers, Industry Professionals, Public Officials, Researchers and Media Common Sense Solutions Others May Miss.
Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) Thoreau Quote – Photo Collage of Modern HUD Code Manufactured Homes Infographic Compare Cost Per Square Foot New Conventional Site Built Housing vs New Manufactured Homes. (Note Click Image to
The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) news release includes formal comments letter on Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH).
— Mark Weiss, J.D., President and CEO of MHARR.
WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES, April 25, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ — The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) in comments filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on April 19, 2023 (see, copy attached), has called for the full inclusion of federally-regulated manufactured housing in the revised and updated proposed rule to Affirmatively Further Fair Housing (AFFH) published by HUD in the Federal Register on February 9, 2023.
Under the new AFFH regulations proposed by HUD, all participants in HUD housing programs (primarily state and local governments and agencies) would be required to complete an “Equity Plan” to affirmatively further the availability of affordable housing and homeownership for broadly-defined “underserved communities” and “protected classes” under the Fair Housing Act of 1968 and related federal legal authorities. Among other things, those Equity Plans would be required by the proposed AFFH rule, to promote the availability of “affordable housing opportunities” through a variety of measures.
In preparing and submitting such mandatory Equity Plans to HUD for review, program participants would be required to provide “an analysis of barriers to affordable housing,” including “policies and practices, such as land use and zoning ordinances that impede the development and maintenance of affordable housing commensurate with need.” (Emphasis added).
Based on these purposes and directives, MHARR’s comments call on HUD to specifically include HUD Code manufactured homes within the categories of affordable housing that must be available within all communities to ensure a broad range of affordable housing choices for Americans. They also call on HUD to use both AFFH and the enhanced federal preemption of the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 to override and invalidate zoning mandates and processes that discriminatorily exclude or restrict the placement and utilization of HUD Code manufactured homes.
These steps are essential to ensuring the equitable availability of affordable manufactured housing, as MHARR’s July 2022 White Paper, “The Exploitation of Federal Housing Finance and Mortgage Funding Assistance Programs and Potential Solutions” shows that discriminatory and exclusionary local zoning ordinances targeting manufactured housing and manufactured housing consumers, is one of two main factors (the other being the unavailability of fully-competitive consumer financing for manufactured home purchases) blocking the industry from achieving its full potential as a leading national source of affordable housing and homeownership. Ironically, Congress has provided the industry and consumers with two powerful remedial laws to overcome these roadblocks, but neither have been implemented to their full, legitimate and intended extent.
In Washington, D.C., MHARR President and CEO, Mark Weiss, stated: “As the nation’s premier source of inherently affordable housing and homeownership that, by federal law, must be available and accessible to all Americans, it is crucial that HUD-regulated manufactured housing be specifically recognized and included as a key affordable housing resource in HUD’s new AFFH regulation, and that HUD Code manufactured housing and new manufactured housing communities not be excluded from any jurisdiction or area. While MHARR commends HUD for acting to enhance the availability of affordable housing and housing equity, that effort must include the affordable housing that is regulated by HUD itself – HUD Code manufactured housing. MHARR’s suggested modifications to the AFFH proposed rule, combined with HUD enforcement of the enhanced federal preemption of the 2000 Reform Law, would be important steps to promote that result.”
The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform is a Washington, D.C.- based national trade association representing the views and interests of independent producers of federally-regulated manufactured housing. ##
Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR)
1331 Pennsylvania Ave N.W., Suite 512
Washington D.C. 20004
Phone: 202/783-4087
Fax: 202/783-4075
Email: [email protected]
Website: manufacturedhousingassociation.org ##
The full MHARR press release is found on their website at this link here. It includes the MHARR comments letter to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) at the link below.
Prior MHARR reports and remarks on the DOE Energy Rule issue are found at the links below.
As MHARR has advised industry readers and interested parties, the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) and the Texas Manufactured Housing Association (TMHA) filed suit against the DOE and other named parties to halt the progress of the implementation of the DOE’s pending rule. That case number is Case No. 23-cv-00174 was filed on 02/14/23 in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.
Legal Action Filed on DOE’s Manufactured Housing Energy Rule
August 2022 MHARR Issues and Perspectives – “WHY THE DOE ENERGY RULE SHOULD BE DOA”
MHARR has also warned affordable housing advocates that current policies have resulted in the 5th straight month of manufactured housing production declines. The largest known collection of years of monthly manufactured housing industry production/shipment records are linked below.
Increasingly Concerning Manufactured Housing Production Decline Continues in February 2023
About MHARR
The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform is a Washington, D.C.-based national trade association representing the views and interests of independent producers of federally-regulated manufactured housing.
Latest Manufactured Housing Industry News from MHARR
The largest known collection online of manufactured housing industry focused news provided by a manufactured home industry nonprofit focused on independent producers’ facts and views are found at this link below.
https://manufacturedhousingassociationregulatoryreform.org/mharr-news/
MHARR Issues and Perspectives
MHARR Issues and Perspectives are insider-insights and fact-packed articles authored by MHARR President and CEO, Mark Weiss, J.D. Years of “Issues and Perspectives” are found at the link below. They routinely provide insights not found from other sources.
https://manufacturedhousingassociationregulatoryreform.org/category/mharr-issues-and-perspectives/
Collection of MHProNews Q&As with Founding MHARR President and Current Senior Advisor Danny Ghorbani
Danny Ghorbani was a vice president for the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) before leaving and becoming the founding president and CEO of MHARR. Ghorbani’s career spans some 5 decades and was recognized by the RV MH Hall of Fame. He was an engineer and played a key role in developing some 200,000 home sites for factory built mobile home homes prior to the HUD Code manufactured housing era. Those Q&A style interviews with Ghorbani are found at this link below.
Brief History and Objectives of MHARR
Brief History and Objectives of the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR)
Major and Continuing MHARR Accomplishments for HUD Code Manufactured Housing Industry and Affordable Homes Consumers
Mark Weiss, J.D., President & CEO
Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform
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