Ownership Matters

Twenty-two years ago, Andrea Levere met Paul Bradley for the first time, before ROC USA was established. Paul worked at the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund and proposed an idea for the Corporation for Enterprise Development’s grant program, where Andrea was the vice president. Just seven years after CFED, which today is Prosperity Now, invested in Paul’s idea, ROC USA was founded and Andrea became the chair of the ROC USA Board.

Now, fifteen years after ROC USA’s start, Andrea reflects on how it all began, discussing the time and effort involved and the fun that was had amid the hard work. She reminisces about and raises up ROC leaders she’s had the pleasure of interacting with, and she looks to the future, projecting more great things to come at ROC USA.

In the latest episode of Ownership Matters, Paul Bradley and Mike Bullard reflect on the exciting things that happened in 2022. They discuss the PRICE Initiative and other great achievements, changes in ROC USA and ROC Association, their favorite podcast episodes from the year, and what they’re hopeful for in 2023.

When John Egan excused himself from a meeting for a moment as his community was discussing becoming a co-op, he didn’t expect to come back and hear himself announced as the President of the community’s interim Board. But that’s exactly what happened at what is now Animas View MHP Co-op in Durango, Colorado. And after that abrupt entry into ROC leadership, here he is now, almost two years later, joining us as one of three ROC Association Board Directors! In this episode of Ownership Matters, John takes us through what inspired him to put his hat in the ring for Board Director, his involvement in government and how that experience helped his community in the process of becoming a resident owned community, his passion for helping other people, and more.

More information, including show notes and links, at rocusa.org/ownershipmatters

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Twitter: @rocusaorg

Facebook: @rocusa.bettertogether

Learn More about the ROC Association at rocassociation.org

When Mary O'Hara joined ROC USA, it was just getting started as a national organization trying to scale the success of Resident Owned Communities nationwide. Fourteen years later, Mary has been promoted to Executive Vice President for ROC Movement and is empowering ROC leaders to become movement leaders. In this episode of Ownership Matters, Mary takes a look back at 14 years of history and tells us more about her new role supporting the ROC Association!

More information, including show notes and links, at rocusa.org/ownershipmatters

Follow ROC USA:

Twitter: @rocusaorg

Facebook: @rocusa.bettertogether

Learn More about the ROC Association at rocassociation.org

You've probably heard it before, but the very first Resident Owned Community came about as the result of a graduate student project. Today, we're joined by the professor of that class, Michael Swack! Michael is a professor at the University of New Hampshire and directs the Center for Impact Finance and the master's program in community development, which he designed for adult practitioners. Michael has also been involved in the design, implementation, and management of a number of Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), including the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund! He's a proud member of the ROC USA Board of Directors, and he joins us on Ownership Matters to talk about the history and importance of CDFIs, and why the resident ownership movement is so important.

More information, including show notes and links, at rocusa.org/ownershipmatters

Follow ROC USA:

Twitter: @rocusaorg

Facebook: @rocusa.bettertogether

On today's episode of Ownership Matters, Mike checks in with ROC Association Board President Marjory Gilsrud from Madelia Mobile Village in Madelia, Minnesota. Marjory is fresh back from a trip to Washington, D.C., where she attended the ROC USA Board of Directors meeting, held some strategic planning meetings for the ROC Association, and made two visits to Capitol Hill to meet with policymakers in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. In those meetings, she advocated for infrastructure funding for Resident Owned Communities nationwide. We also talk about ways other ROC Members can get involved through two ROC Association committees.

More information, including show notes and links, at rocusa.org/ownershipmatters

Follow ROC USA:

Twitter: @rocusaorg

Facebook: @rocusa.bettertogether

Learn More about the ROC Association at rocassociation.org

"When housing on the lowest rung of the American Dream is being devoured by the wealthiest of the wealthy, whose dream are we serving?" This is the question documentary filmmaker Sara Terry seeks to answer in her latest film, A DECENT HOME. A DECENT HOME is a feature length documentary that addresses the urgent issues of class and economic inequity through the lives of residents of manufactured home communities. Sara Terry joins the podcast to talk about her career, the film, her experiences visiting a resident owned community (featured in the film!) the documentary film festival circuit, and more.

More information, including show notes and links, at rocusa.org/ownershipmatters

Follow ROC USA:

Twitter: @rocusaorg

Facebook: @rocusa.bettertogether

Follow A DECENT HOME:

Twitter: @adecenthomefilm

Facebook: @adecenthomefilm

Instagram: @decenthomefilm

adecenthomefilm.com

Last fall, Devynn Fetter came home to find papers stuck in the door of her home in Columbia Falls, Montana. The paperwork let her know that her community of 30 homes was for sale - and that she and her neighbors had the opportunity to buy it for themselves. Once things were in motion, Hideaway Community was on its way to becoming a Resident Owned Community with Dev at the helm as interim Board President, a role she now permanently holds. Her story was featured in a recent article in the Flathead Beacon talking about the growing affordable housing crisis in the area - Hideaway is now permanently affordable in an area where the average home price has soared to over half a million dollars. We talk about a little bit of everything in this episode with Dev - rapid population growth in Flathead County, how her dad helped her decide to take a leadership role at Hideaway, going door-to-door to answer her neighbors' questions, the unique skills of Hideaway's Board, and what's in store for the new ROC's future!

More information, including show notes and links, at rocusa.org/ownershipmatters

Follow ROC USA:

Twitter: @rocusaorg

Facebook: @rocusa.bettertogether

Earlier this year, Courtney Berner, the Executive Director of the Center for Cooperatives at the University of Wisconsin, wrote an article called "Where are New Co-ops Emerging? The Changing Map of Co-op Development" for Nonprofit Quarterly. In the article, Courtney writes how Resident Owned Communities are a sector-specific strategy that is changing where new cooperatives emerge. Courtney joins today's episode talk about the article and to provide a brief history of cooperatives!

More information, including show notes and links, at rocusa.org/ownershipmatters

Follow ROC USA:

Twitter: @rocusaorg

Facebook: @rocusa.bettertogether

Follow the UW Center for Cooperatives:

Twitter: @centerforcoops

Facebook: @UWCenterforCoops

Does your Resident Owned Community have vacant lots? Are there homes that need replacing? Have you considered how additional site fees from new homes could impact your community's bottom line? If any of these questions ring a bell, then this conversation is for you. We're joined by Alan Blake of ROC-NH to talk about his new position as an infill specialist. In his position, he's a resource for New Hampshire's 140+ ROCs who are considering bringing new homes into their communities but don't know where to start. While his position is state-specific, his ideas are not - ROCs from all over the country can benefit from Alan's tips!

More information, including show notes and links, at rocusa.org/ownershipmatters

Follow ROC USA:

Twitter: @rocusaorg

Facebook: @rocusa.bettertogether

Follow the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund's ROC-NH Program:

Twitter: @NHCommLoanFund

Facebook: @NHCommunityLoanFund