There
are more than 1,000 resident-owned manufactured home
communities across the United States. In New Hampshire
alone, the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund (NHCLF)
has helped to create over 80 resident-owned parks.
In the Midwest, Northcountry Cooperative Foundation
has successfully helped residents in two manufactured
home parks incorporate as cooperatives and purchase
their park—Sunrise Villa Cooperative in Cannon Falls,
MN, and Paul Revere Cooperative in Lexington, MN. Northcountry
Cooperative Foundation works closely with manufactured
home park residents who wish to become a cooperative
to:
-
Negotiate
for site control of the park,
-
Prepare
development and operating budgets, and train residents
in managing park budgets,
-
Oversee
infrastructure assessments and capital improvements,
-
Arrange
financing,
-
Prepare
legal and organizational documents, and
-
Train
residents in sound cooperative governance practices.
When
residents own a share in a cooperative that owns the
land underneath their manufactured home, they have
control over everything that happens in the park:
-
Residents
have confidence that the park won't be sold out
from underneath them,
-
Residents
are in control of lot fees,
-
Residents
are in control of park rules
-
Residents
have the power to vote to make improvements in
the park, like installing locking mailboxes, fixing
bad roads or water lines, or building a playground
for community children
-
Residents
gain valuable experience by participating in the
co-op by serving on the Board, on a committee,
or simply volunteering
-
Residents
have the support of their neighbors
Links:
Greenwood becomes Bennett Park Cooperative
Sunrise
Villa and Paul Revere Cooperatives: Taking pride in
shaping their futures
Letter
of Support for the Paul Revere Cooperative from Governor
Tim Pawlenty
Sunrise
Villa now co-op owned by residents (Cannon Falls Beacon
10/21/04)
New
Hampshire Community Loan Fund
You
can help give residents of manufactured home parks
in the Upper Midwest a chance for stability, self-sufficiency,
and empowerment by investing in NCDF or donating to
the Foundation. For more information on how to get
a loan, invest, or donate, call (612) 331-9103 or
email info@ncdf.coop.
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