Ownership Matters

Nearly 40 years go, 13 homeowners in Meredith Center, New Hampshire banded together to purchase the land beneath their homes with the help of the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, becoming the first Resident Owned Community. Jason and Jeff Sirles grew up in the cooperative, and their father, Bob, was the ROC's first Board President. In this episode, Jason and Jeff reflect on the sense of community and the generosity of the community sellers. Tune in to hear their perspectives on how growing up in a ROC shaped their childhoods, and how it set them up for success in life.

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

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Twitter: @rocusaorg

Facebook: @rocusa.bettertogether

When Bev Adrian met host Paul Bradley in the early 2000s at an event called the Meredith Institute, she had no idea she was on a long path to resident ownership. Fast forward nearly 20 years and Bev is the Board President at Woodlawn Terrace Cooperative in Richfield, Minnesota, one of the newest resident-owned communities in the country. In this episode, Bev walks us through her long crazy journey to resident ownership - a journey that includes a community closure, statewide advocacy work, a "leap of faith" - purchasing a new home in a privately-owned manufactured home community - and leading her new neighbors through the cooperative purchase.

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

Follow ROC USA:

Twitter: @rocusaorg

Facebook: @rocusa.bettertogether

Happy New Year! In our first episode of the new year, hosts Paul Bradley and Mike Bullard look back on the successes of the resident ownership movement in 2021 and look ahead to what's to come in 2022. Paul and Mike talk about a little bit of everything in this episode - consolidation in the manufactured housing industry, new ROC purchases, the retirements of a few important people, changes at ROC USA, highlights from the first year of Ownership Matters, and more!

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

Follow ROC USA:

Twitter: @rocusaorg

Facebook: @rocusa.bettertogether

A lot about manufactured housing has changed over the years thanks to innovations in construction techniques, changing customer preferences and tastes, building codes and more. But at least one thing has remained a constant: Manufactured homes provide the most affordable entry into homeownership. Ramsey Cohen from Clayton Homes joins Ownership Matters to tell us about everything from the cutting-edge features of today’s new homes to the finer points of the purchase process. Ramsey also talks about the partnership with ROC USA and Family Promise that helped deliver a brand new home to a ROC Member in Colorado.

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

Follow ROC USA:

Twitter: @rocusaorg

Facebook: @rocusa.bettertogether

Follow Clayton Homes:

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Facebook: @ClaytonHomes

Insta: @clayton

Twitter: @claytonhomes

This week, we had the opportunity to sit down with Cranberry Village’s own Board President, Brenda Bakal. While Brenda moved in a few years after Cranberry Village became a ROC, she has navigated the community during the pandemic, its refinance and some major infrastructure projects. In the episode, she will share with us what attracted her to the community, what motivated her to run for the cooperative presidency, and more!

In addition to increasing monthly site fees, residents of private- and investor-owned manufactured home communities often face another looming threat - community closure. Ten years ago, Esther Sullivan, author of "Manufactured Insecurity: Mobile Home Parks and Americans' Tenuous Right to Place," moved into two communities facing shut down to study the sociological impacts on the homeowners who lived there. She joins Ownership Matters to tell us about her experiences in those two communities, shares some stories about the residents she stayed connected with, and tells us more about what she's working on these days (like testifying to the Federal Housing Finance Authority in July) as an advocate for homeowners in manufactured home communities.

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

Follow ROC USA:

Twitter: @rocusaorg

Facebook: @rocusa.bettertogether

Follow Esther Sullivan:

esthersullivan.net

Twitter: @sullivan_esther

At the 2019 ROC Leadership Institute, a new committee was formed to serve as a peer-to-peer support network for Resident Owned Communities. Two years later, the ROC Association Outreach & Education Committee is well underway - in the past year alone, they have hosted sessions at the ROC Leadership Institute, have run sessions at regional trainings, and have provided first-hand knowledge about resident ownership to resident groups considering purchasing their own communities. In today's episode, we're joined by committee chairs Bobbie Grubb (Pammel Creek Estates, Wisconsin) and Carol Hodgkins (Wardtown Mobile Home Cooperative, Maine) to learn more about what the committee has been up to.

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: rocusa.org/roc-association

Energy savings for Resident Owned Communities is an important topic that all community leaders can benefit from. In this episode, we're joined by ROC USA Capital's Kevin Porter. Kevin is passionate about energy efficiency and serves on the Board of Directors for Clean Energy NH. In this conversation, Kevin tells about the many ways ROCs can invest in clean energy - everything from solar and battery storage to lightbulb replacement and community power. He even offers some tips for homeowners to help cut costs on their own energy bills!

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

Follow ROC USA:

Twitter: @rocusaorg

Facebook: @rocusa.bettertogether

Follow Clean Energy NH:

Twitter: @CleanEnergyNH

All across the country, Resident Owned Communities are doing powerful things! On this episode of Ownership Matters, we're joined by Ron Palmer, Board President at Lakeville Village in Geneseo, N.Y., to talk about his ROC's new solar array. Tune in to find out what motivated the residents of Lakeville Village to peruse a solar array, how much income it will generate for their ROC each year, and how much it cost the community to install (spoiler alert: $0). This is an electrifying conversation that you don't want to miss!

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

Follow ROC USA:

Twitter: @rocusaorg

Facebook: @rocusa.bettertogether

Technical Assistance is crucial to the ongoing success of Resident Owned Communities - but what is it, exactly? In this episode of Ownership Matters, we're joined by Tory Clark, the Executive Director of Northcountry Cooperative Foundation, to talk about all things technical assistance, from problem-solving and governance to supporting community leaders through educational and leadership opportunities! Tory has worked closely with ROCs since 2016 and brings a wealth of knowledge to the conversation.

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

Follow ROC USA:

Twitter: @rocusaorg

Facebook: @rocusa.bettertogether

Follow Northcountry Cooperative Foundation:

Twitter: @NCF_MN

Facebook: @NorthcountryCooperativeFoundation