Young’s bill would make manufactured homes eligible for federal low-income housing funds

U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) on June 12 introduced a bipartisan bill to require the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to issue guidelines that would include residential manufactured homes as affordable housing eligible for federal funding.

Sen. Young cosponsored the HUD Manufactured Housing Modernization Act of 2019, S. 1804, with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) to require HUD to issue guidelines for including manufactured housing in state and local governments’ Consolidated Plans, which outline their housing and community development priorities, when applying for HUD funding, according to his office.

“Solving the housing affordability crisis for Hoosiers of all income levels is going to require bold and innovative changes to our nation’s housing policies,” Sen. Young said.

If enacted, S. 1804 also would stipulate that manufactured housing is a significant source of unsubsidized affordable housing with nearly 22 million people in the United States living in manufactured housing, “which opens the door to homeownership for families who, in many housing markets, cannot afford to buy a site-built home,” according to the text of the bill.

“With over 2.5 million Hoosiers already living in manufactured homes — and with Hoosier workers leading the way in construction of manufactured housing — I know it’s time to put greater emphasis on manufactured housing as a housing affordability solution,” said Sen. Young.

S. 1804, which has garnered support from Prosperity Now, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the Manufactured Housing Institute, and the National Association of Manufactured Housing Community Owners, is being considered by the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee.