Julie Ridenour

I am writing today to urge you to oppose HB1007, a bill relative to manufactured housing. This bill will limit affordable housing options for all Granite Staters by weakening the law that ensures manufactured homes have a "reasonable and realistic" opportunity to be placed across the state. As you all know, the median cost of a home in New Hampshire has reached all-time highs, making homeownership impossible for many Granite Staters. There seems to be no end in sight, especially while the supply of housing struggles to meet demand. According to recent data, NH will need 60,000 new homes by 2030. 40,000 of those units will need to be available for homeownership opportunities. So why, at a time when we need to be doing everything we can to support opportunities to increase the supply of housing are we going backwards and limiting new housing from being created? As a manufactured-home owner myself, I’m not sure. I know that my home is much like any other home. It's cozy, comfortable, and safe. It holds some of my family's most treasured memories. It's the place my adult children want to be when young adult life gets overwhelming. It's in a pleasant neighborhood with lovely neighbors who look out for each other. Often, people don’t know the quality of a manufactured home, and think of it as “less than” site-built homes. Having lived in every manner of home, my personal experience challenges that belief. Yet, my home is not treated the same as other homes because it was not constructed on-site. This treatment is not based on fact, but on the idea that my home is not as quality as other homes. I can assure you that my home is safely and soundly built, cozy and welcoming. There are plenty of on-site built homes in horrible disrepair that can't say the same. Not everyone needs, wants, or is able to live in what would be considered a more "traditional" home. Manufactured homes are perfect for people who need single-story living, for those who want to live a more sustainable lifestyle, for hard-working families who would rather be saving money for their kids' college funds or for their own retirement than paying a huge mortgage. For these reasons, I urge you to OPPOSE HB 1007.