Perspectives

I

Chris Stinebert President, Manufactured Housing Institute

t's as predictable as death and taxes. Each year some homes will be hit by tornadoes and hurricanes-it's unavoidable. Some will stand firm against this onslaught of high winds, while others will be completely destroyed. The combination of inadequate warning systems and winds exceeding the design threshold of any home can result in injuries. But in the worst storms, the consequences can be fatal.

Inevitably, some of these homes are manufactured homes. Just as inevitably, as soon as a death occurs, the industry receives a rash of calls from reporters trying to identify manufactured housing as the root cause of the problem-the greater the catastrophe, the more urgent the calls. Articles appear in the local newspapers and the evening news is filled with pictures of bereaved, agonized people standing next to their shattered homes and dreams. The raw emotions generated by these pictures often spur politicians to take action.

A case in point is the legislation recently introduced by Alabama Congressman Spencer Bachus (R) in the House of Representatives. The Bachus bill, which passed the House on March 22nd, extends the availability of Federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to owners and residents of manufactured home communities. Manufactured housing community owners, both for-profit and non-profit, would be able to apply for CDBG funds to construct or renovate tornado shelters. On the surface, this well-intentioned bill, which was drafted in response to a fatal tornado that struck a manufactured home community in Congressman Bachus' district, appears to be very beneficial. After all, communities would now have access to public funds to build shelters. Also, the bill is not draconian. It does not mandate shelters in new or existing communities. It does not add new requirements. No new costs are added-as a matter of fact, communities that elect to build a shelter may construct it at a reduced cost with these funds.

Yet, the first impression is that the legislation singles out a specific type of housing at the exclusion of all others. This was not the intent says Congressman Bachus. He notes that he simply wanted to bring parity to the storm shelter issue. According to Bachus and HUD, site-built home developments already have the ability to access CDBG funds for shelters but that manufactured home communities do not. This legislation simply gives equal treatment under the law.

We don't know the future of the Bachus bill in the Senate. However, one thing is certain, MHI will be working hard to educate Senators on the sensitive nature of the legislation. Yes, we want access to CDBG funds for community storm shelters, but without the negative stigma attached to it.

© 2002 by Manufactured Housing Institute. All rights reserved.