With Housing Costs a Top Concern, Pappas, Shaheen, Omar Introduce Legislation to Ensure Housing Affordability by Supporting Manufactured Housing Communities
Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) joined U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (NH) and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (MN-05) in reintroducing the Manufactured Housing Community Sustainability Act, which would incentivize manufactured home park owners to sell the park to community residents or nonprofits, rather than another developer or landlord. As housing affordability remains a top concern for communities across New Hampshire, this legislation would allow more Americans to stay in their homes by protecting residents in manufactured homes from excessive rent increases.
Pappas secured three provisions in the House-passed amended 21st Century Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream (ROAD) to Housing legislative package, the most consequential piece of housing legislation in decades.
“Granite Staters deserve affordable, safe, and secure housing. Manufactured housing is an affordable homeownership option but right now it can also leave families more vulnerable to displacement and predatory practices when they don’t own the land they live on. This legislation would incentivize manufactured home park owners selling their land to sell to current residents, keeping people in their homes and empowering families in the future,” said Congressman Pappas. “I’ll continue fighting to put homeownership back in reach for all.”
“Housing has become even more unaffordable for families across the Granite State, and President Trump’s tariffs and war in Iran are only making things worse,” said Senator Shaheen. “I am committed to doing everything I can to lower the cost of housing for Granite Staters and make New Hampshire a more affordable place to live. By helping residents of manufactured housing communities buy their communities, they’ll be protected from predatory rent increases and get real relief from high costs.”
Across the United States, over 20 million Americans live in manufactured homes, with more than 150 resident-owned manufactured housing communities in New Hampshire, also known as “manufactured home parks.” The Manufactured Housing Community Sustainability Act would create a 75 percent federal tax credit offsetting capital gains if a manufactured housing community is sold to a resident-owned cooperative or nonprofit, rather than another landlord, developer or corporation. This would incentivize the sale of manufactured housing communities to the residents themselves or a non-profit—lowering costs and protecting access to affordable housing in the Granite State by shielding residents from excessive rent increases that could price them out of their homes.
The bill text can be found HERE.
In the Senate, the Manufactured Housing Community Sustainability Act is cosponsored by Senators Angus King (ME) and Richard Blumenthal (CT). The legislation is endorsed by the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund and Resident-Owned Communities USA.
“I’m excited to see Senator Shaheen reintroduce this critical bill to secure the American Dream in New Hampshire and across the country,” said Steve Saltzman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund. “Manufactured housing is one of the most affordable homeownership opportunities available and we know that resident-owned communities help preserve and stabilize this opportunity by putting homeowners in control. New Hampshire is now home to 152 resident-owned communities which have preserved more than 9,000 homes for Granite Staters and their families. The Manufactured Housing Community Sustainability Act is an important tool to bolster this proven model by incentivizing community owners to sell to the people who already live there, not an out-of-state investor.”
Pappas has worked to ensure Granite State communities have the resources they need to increase the affordable housing stock and tackle the housing crisis. He helped introduce the bipartisan Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act to support affordable housing financing and development by expanding and strengthening the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit. He also co-leads the Supporting Projects to Unleash Residential (SPUR) Housing Act, Property Improvement and Manufactured Housing Loan Modernization Act, and the bipartisan Accelerating Home Building Act. He and the New Hampshire delegation have welcomed more than $30 million in federal grants to build more affordable housing across the Granite State.
Shaheen is leading efforts in the Senate to lower housing costs and increase the supply of affordable units for families struggling to find a place to call home. Earlier this year, Senator Shaheen secured three commonsense provisions—the Strategy and Investment in Rural Housing Preservation Act, Streamlining Rural Housing Act and the Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative in Community Enhancement (PRICE) Act in the landmark 21st Century Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream (ROAD) to Housing Act to expand supply of affordable housing, streamline construction and lower costs in the Granite State and across the country. In the bipartisan Fiscal Year 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, Shaheen secured upwards of $9 million in federal funding for affordable housing in New Hampshire. Recently, as part of her Affordability Action Tour, Senator Shaheen visited both West Lebanon and Laconia to discuss policy solutions to lower housing costs for communities across the state.