A home is more than a building. Home means safety, family and stability. But for many Oregonians living in older manufactured homes, their homes can mean a long list of items that need fixing and high energy bills with little comfort through cold winters and sweltering summer heat waves.
Manufactured homes are a critical part of addressing Oregon’s housing crisis, providing a relatively affordable way for many residents to become homeowners. Of Oregon’s 140,000 manufactured homes, more than 110,000 of them were built before 1995, when federal energy standards spurred major improvements to the way these homes were built and insulated. That means that the vast majority of families living in Oregon’s manufactured homes – many of them with lower incomes – spend about 70 percent more on energy per square foot than residents of site-built homes.
Starting in 2018, Energy Trust and a coalition of partners began replacing these older manufactured homes across the state; home by home, family by family, the program’s financial incentives and one-on-one navigator support made new homes a reality for families around Oregon. In 2024, Energy Trust’s Manufactured Home Replacement program reached a milestone: more than 100 families have participated in the program and successfully replaced their old homes with new energy efficient manufactured homes.
How Energy Trust navigators help families get their new home
Multiple organizations and state agencies offer financial incentives to help qualified owners of older manufactured homes afford new homes, but navigating these programs can be a challenge. That’s where Eddie Sepeda and his team come in. Sepeda, an Energy Trust manufactured home program navigator, wears a lot of hats in his role, but the ultimate purpose is to support homeowners in the process of replacing their old home with a new, energy efficient manufactured home.
Program navigators like Sepeda coach homeowners through every step of the manufactured home replacement process, often starting with knocking on doors and attending community events to let people know about the program. Then they help families through the steps: from confirming eligibility and lining up available funding and resources, to supporting families as they shop for new homes, coordinate removal of their old home and finally move into the new home. Navigators are there to keep homeowners on track as they work through what can be a complex process involving retailers, contractors, lenders, local and state government agencies, nonprofit organizations, inspectors and more.
In June of 2024, Sepeda smiled alongside homeowner Stephanie Bland as he handed her the keys to her new home in Idleyld Park, Oregon.
“Days like today are the reason I do this work,” he said.
“I’m not sure I would have gotten through it if Eddie hadn’t been there to tell me, ‘Keep going,’” said Bland, who faced a few setbacks in the multi-step process to replace her home. “Now it was all worth it. Ultimately, I did this for my kids.”
Empowering Oregonians through partnership
The Manufactured Home Replacement Program began as a small pilot, after Energy Trust research showed it was more efficient to replace pre-1995-built homes than to repair or retrofit them with efficient upgrades like new insulation, windows and heating and cooling systems. Starting as a partnership with Oregon Housing and Community Services, Community and Shelter Assistance of Oregon, NeighborWorks Umpqua, St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County and regional community action agencies, the group worked together to identify qualified homes, seek additional funding opportunities and monitor the impact of the program.
The program is also supporting the replacement of entire manufactured home parks, including for victims of the devastating wildfires in 2020. Energy Trust and other partners are helping families in the community of Talent where the fires destroyed hundreds of homes. As these new homes arrive throughout 2024, families will return to their neighborhoods and enjoy safe, comfortable and affordable new homes.
To learn more about Energy Trust’s Manufactured Home Replacement program, call 503.374.1660 or email mhreplacement@energytrust.org.