The I’m HOME Network advances manufactured and modular housing as critical solutions to the nation’s housing affordability and supply challenges. Through focused working groups, the network brings together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, advocates, and industry leaders to identify shared challenges, align priority policy and practice changes, and translate research into action. Each working group is designed to foster deeper collaboration, accountability, and impact—producing practical tools, policy insights, and recommendations that support high-quality, secure, and accessible factory-built housing across diverse communities.
Building Performance and Resilience
High-performance homes reduce household costs, improve comfort and health, and protect residents from climate-related risks. I’m HOME advances building performance by aligning engineering best practices with policy requirements, strengthening installation and foundation standards, and supporting energy efficiency and resilience upgrades. The network promotes adoption of ENERGY STAR® and Zero Energy Ready Home standards and works to ensure that resilient, efficient homes are accessible to low- and moderate-income households.
State-by-State Policy
Manufactured and modular housing outcomes are heavily shaped by state and local policy. I’m HOME’s state-focused work elevates best practices, identifies regulatory barriers, and shares model policies related to zoning, building codes, taxation, titling, and consumer protections. By highlighting how policies differ across jurisdictions, the network helps stakeholders learn from one another and supports coordinated strategies that expand access to high-quality factory-built housing nationwide.
Home Quality
When built well, sited properly, and maintained, manufactured housing offers safe, healthy, and energy-efficient homes. High-quality manufactured housing must be the norm and expectation, which means continually improving the HUD Code and energy-efficiency standards and encouraging design and energy innovations to promote net-zero energy and other high-performance features. For existing homes, retrofits and energy-efficiency measures can increase safety and durability and reduce energy costs.
Land Tenure and Security
While homes placed on resident-owned land and single-unit lots tend to offer security for homeowners, homes located in manufactured housing communities, sometimes called mobile home parks, are subject to the motives of the landowner. In communities owned by private for-profit entities—by far the most common scenario—strong tenant protections and lease requirements, as well as pathways to resident ownership of the land, offer residents more security and control.
Home Financing
Personal property—or “chattel”—financing is the most common financial product available for purchasing manufactured homes, excluding many homeowners from the benefits of traditional mortgages. We seek to improve chattel loan products financed by the Government-Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) and offered through HUD’s Title I program. We also seek to expand opportunities for traditional mortgages, and financing for community ownership by residents, nonprofits, and government entities.
Land Use and Zoning
Many localities and states have zoning and other land use restrictions that limit or prohibit placing manufactured housing in conventional single-family neighborhoods, severely limiting manufactured housing as an option for urban infill redevelopment. To address this exclusionary zoning, manufactured housing must be shown to meet standards and provide a valuable homeownership opportunity for first-time and lower-income home buyers.