Housing Advocates Share Insights, Progress on National Solutions at CCRE Panel
Source: Excerpts from the Center for California Real Estate Panel: CCRE– (PRNNewswire) – Housing advocates across the country recently gathered for a discussion around federal policy solutions and recent progress in addressing the nationwide housing affordability and supply crisis – hosted on August 12 by the Center for California Real Estate.
The panel featured David Garcia, policy director for UP For Growth, Lesli Gooch, CEO of the Manufactured Housing Institute; and Kim Johnson, Senior Director of Policy for the National Low Income Housing Coalition.
Manufactured housing is gaining traction as part of a federal solution. Gooch emphasized that housing is being increasingly recognized as a key affordability tool, in particular for middle-income residents. She pointed to federal legislation under consideration to modernize the nation’s 50 year- old Federal Building Code, which would enable a wider range of home types: “We need this legislative change that allows us to build more … to follow us to bring our house to more places with that federal seal of approval…That’s a really important function of the local government.”
Gooch shares significant gains in model variety and sustainability that has increased the desire for single-family manufactured housing products, noting it has helped bridge the gap in nimby-prone areas where reticence to allow housing has shifted to a welcoming atmosphere. The combined impact of code standardization and advancements in energy efficiency and modern design has significant potential, particularly as an affordable infill solution than traditional single-family units in terms of impact on supply. Panelists cited markets with substantial progress in supporting alternative housing types, such as California ADU programs leading the way for manufactured housing at scale.
