ARPA Funding Overview
Many manufactured housing communities (also known as mobile home parks) in Vermont struggle to provide clean and adequate drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, and drainage systems. The Healthy Homes Initiative Manufactured Housing Communities Program has $24.75 million in ARPA funding to provide technical and financial assistance to remedy those challenges and support safe, affordable housing. This funding will improve living conditions for people in manufactured housing communities and help residents follow Vermont's environmental regulations. The funding can be used to complete a needs assessment, receive technical assistance, and cover construction costs necessary to implement water infrastructure solutions.
The first round of funding was open in summer 2022. Award notifications have been sent to manufactured housing communities and a list of awardees will be posted soon on the application website.
View the recent press release, which includes a list of awardees.
Get on the list to get email updates on the Manufactured Housing Communities Program.
Eligibility
For-profit (private), non-profit, and cooperatively owned manufactured housing communities registered with the State of Vermont’s Mobile Home Park Registry can apply for funding through a competitive program. Funding can be used to determine what water infrastructure projects need to be completed, receive technical and permitting assistance including 3-acre stormwater permit assistance, or cover construction costs necessary to fix existing infrastructure issues. Additional funding is anticipated in future fiscal years.
Eligible projects
- Needs assessments of manufactured housing communities for future drinking water / wastewater / stormwater / drainage projects
- Technical assistance / engineering for supported drinking water / wastewater / stormwater / drainage construction projects
- Technical assistance and permit fees for a 3-acre stormwater permit
- Water source redevelopment / installations
- Connections to municipal water / sewer projects
- Installation / repair of on-site wastewater systems
- Stormwater retrofits, installations, and developments
- Improvements to site drainage including moving sites out of floodplains / river corridors
- Water supply distribution system installations / repairs
- Wastewater collection system installations / repairs
Equity Considerations
The Manufactured Housing Communities Program is providing water infrastructure funding to manufactured housing communities to invest in healthy, reliable infrastructure to address drinking water, wastewater, stormwater and drainage issues, resulting in healthier, more resilient living spaces for residents in manufactured housing communities, a historically underserved group in Vermont.
Manufactured housing communities are disproportionately impacted by environmental justice issues in Vermont. According to the Vermont Rural Environmental Justice Opportunities Informed by Community Expertise (REJOICE), during Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, 40% of those impacted by Irene were manufactured housing community residents, even though these residents only make up 8% of the state’s population.
Research has shown that Vermonters, particularly low-income Vermonters, have disproportionately experienced increased impacts from COVID-19 compared to the general population of Vermont and the US. Additionally, manufactured housing communities typically represent a number of low-income Vermonters.
By focusing efforts on manufactured housing communities through technical assistance, needs assessments, and construction funding programs, Vermont is providing direct relief and technical and financial assistance to a demographic of Vermont’s population that have historically been underserved, under-represented, and overburdened.
Learn More
If you have any questions, you can reach out by email or phone at ANR.HealthyHomes@vermont.gov or 802-828-0141 or 877-344-0354 (toll-free).
Other complementary funding sources include the USDA. More information on existing funding and technical assistance for water infrastructure projects.