Amanda Forrester / news@whmi.com

A grassroots organization is working to pass state bills to protect those living in manufactured home communities from rising costs and unsafe conditions.

MHAction has drafted several bills they say will protect residents from private equity firms that are “putting profits before people.”

The bills, House Bills 5157-5163 and Senate Bills 486-492, will offer several protections to residents. Some of the included items are preventing manufactured home communities who have had violations from being able to be licensed, requirements for leases and renewals and a focus on the health and safety of residents.

In August 2024, Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton brought charges against Homes of America’s local LLC, owner of the North Morris Estates, located in Mount Morris for operating the park without a license.

“A key element in the North Morris Estates’ inability to obtain a license is its seeming refusal to fix the park’s water problem,” Leyton said during a press conference.

During the conference, Leyton held up a jar of brown water that was allegedly from the community. He said EGLE wouldn’t give the community a license for the water, which prevents them from getting a license to run.

Leyton said this was the first time the owner of a manufactured home community in Michigan was being charged under the Mobile Home Act.

The penalty is up to one year in jail and/or a fine of $500, but Leyton said the owners could be facing a stricter penalty.

“Calculating that back to November 29 of 2023 when the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs notified this park that it was without a valid license, this fine could top $100,000,” Leyton said.

Thetford Township also has civil litigation against the park due to the alleged offenses.

“It’s clear to me this corporation is putting profits before people, putting profits ahead of the safety and welfare of our local citizens and this we will not allow,” Leyton said.

State Senator John Cherry said during the press conference that Michigan has the highest number of manufactured home communities that are owned by out of state equity firms.

“This is not an isolated incident,” Cherry said. “This is happening across the state of Michigan.”’

Marge Wisniewski, a member of MHAction, said that many residents of manufactured home communities are lower income, and they need protection from lawmakers.

“They need affordable, accessible housing,” Wisniewski said. “Manufactured home communities are a really good option for them. There aren’t a lot of protections for people who live in these communities.”

Wisniewski said that licensing is a wider-spread issue than just North Morris Estates. She said that many aren’t licensed, and there is little oversight to ensure they are.

MHAction has worked on the bills for the last five years, and Wisniewski said if they don’t pass before the end of session, the organization will have to restart from the beginning. She said that one of the biggest hurdles has been pushback from those who have a stake in the manufactured home business.

Wisniewski said that the best way to get involved and help the organization is by going to their website and signing a letter that gets emailed to local legislators. She said they focus on those letters and will take note of them.

During a recent session of the state’s legislature, MHAction volunteers took bottles of water collected from manufactured home communities with information about the bills attached. The water ranged from clear to very discolored, highlighting the concern that people in certain communities don’t have access to clean water, Wisniewski said.

More information on MHAction and ways to get involved can be found at mhaction.org

The link for the premade letters can be found in the provided link.

(photo credit: Amanda Forrester)