New PRICE Act Funds Infrastructure Upgrades and Resident-Owned Housing in Manufactured Home Communities

The Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement Act—or the PRICE Act—is setting up a brand-new competitive grant program to funnel money directly into manufactured housing communities. This isn’t a small tweak; it’s a dedicated funding stream aimed at fixing up the places where millions of low- and moderate-income Americans live. To qualify, communities must serve residents making 120% or less of the area median income and, crucially, commit to long-term affordability or resident ownership, like a co-op. This focus on resident control is a major feature of the bill.

The Fix-It Fund for Aging Infrastructure

If you live in a manufactured home community, you know the infrastructure can be rough. Often, the homes are fine, but the roads, water lines, and utilities are decades old. The PRICE Act allows grant money to be used for big-ticket items like fixing up community infrastructure, utilities, and land improvements. This means funds could pay for paving roads, replacing leaky water pipes, or upgrading electrical systems—the kind of work that improves daily life and keeps maintenance costs from skyrocketing. It also covers buying land for expansion or new communities, provided they meet the same affordability standards.

Home Makeovers and Safety Standards

The grants also address the housing stock itself. Funds can be used for repairing existing manufactured homes or replacing older ones entirely. There’s a specific rule here: if a home was built before June 15, 1976 (when federal safety standards kicked in), the grant money can’t be used just to renovate it. It has to be replaced with a home that meets modern safety and construction standards. This is a smart provision that ensures public money goes toward improving resident health, safety, and energy efficiency, rather than just patching up truly obsolete units. For residents, this could mean safer, warmer, and more accessible homes.

Protecting Residents From the Edge

Beyond the physical improvements, the PRICE Act recognizes that stability is key. Grant money can also be used for resident support services. This is the practical stuff that keeps people housed, like relocation assistance if a community needs major work, or, importantly, eviction prevention services. If you’re a resident-owned community, this funding could also help with down payment assistance for new members, reinforcing the long-term goal of keeping these communities affordable and resident-controlled. This is a direct investment in social stability.

The Fine Print on Implementation

Since this is a competitive grant, not everyone will get funding, and the process will require significant administrative heavy lifting from applicants like local governments, nonprofits, and resident co-ops. The Secretary running the program is directed to prioritize projects that benefit low- and moderate-income residents and guarantee long-term affordability. However, the bill gives the Secretary the power to waive certain federal rules to speed up projects. While there are crucial guardrails—they absolutely cannot waive rules related to fair housing, non-discrimination, labor standards, or the environment—this broad authority over other federal regulations could lead to some inconsistencies in how the grants are administered across different states. The good news is that the program is open to a wide range of eligible recipients, including local governments, nonprofits, resident-owned co-ops, and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), meaning there are many avenues for communities to seek this much-needed funding.