Guided by Our Values

Preserving affordable homeownership through the establishment of resident-owned communities (ROCs) is possible, in part, through laws like the 60-day notice requirement in NH RSA 205. This law requires manufactured-home park owners to formally notify residents of their intention to sell and to negotiate in good faith with tenants who wish to purchase the park cooperatively.

This law and other protective policies are often threatened by individuals and organizations who are interested in buying parks to maximize them for profit, even if that means making the parks unaffordable and unlivable for residents with lower incomes. Our policy team monitors threats to resident ownership and works with policymakers to prevent other predatory practices designed to exploit vulnerable people.

We were active in promoting the passage of HB 1361, a bipartisan bill to increase manufactured-housing opportunities and address N.H.’s housing crisis. It clarifies how local zoning ordinances address manufactured housing and requires municipalities to allow “reasonable and realistic” opportunities for developing and expanding manufactured-home parks.

Prior to its passage, New Hampshire Community Loan Fund President and CEO Steve Saltzman spoke in its favor, “The social and health benefits of homeownership are well known,” he said. “At a time when owning a manufactured home is far less expensive than renting a comparably sized apartment, we should be doing everything we can to make that option available.”

We work collaboratively with other organizations and policymakers on zoning reform that encourages housing density across the state as well as the placement of more manufactured homes and the expansion of manufactured-home parks.

Our mortgage borrowers defy convention. Half have no credit score, and the other half averages a score of 620. Still, they are incredibly successful in repaying their loans. We are actively sharing our data and successful lending practices with government supported entities Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, hopeful they will create programs to encourage more traditional lenders to treat manufactured homes like valuable assets.

We advocate for government programs that connect cost-saving energy and weatherization programs with residents with low-incomes and the organizations that support them. 

We believe that every person in the state should be able to fully participate in the economy and society. And our mission is to provide systematically excluded people and communities with the financial, human, and civic resources they need to be economically secure.

Helping people, businesses, and nonprofits reduce their energy costs, in the homes, buildings, and communities we’ve helped them buy, develop, and preserve, is a natural fit for us. Our ongoing presence in the energy space means that more people have the opportunity to take advantage of these modern solutions. 

As energy costs continue to rise, they will disproportionately affect systematically excluded people with low and moderate incomes. By connecting borrowers with a range of innovative energy solutions, we’re addressing energy challenges in several areas.
• Weatherization and Energy Efficiency
• Fuel Switching
• Renewable Energy