Mobile home parks provide a critical source of unsubsidized affordable housing for the poorest and most marginalized residents of Texas. There are more than 760,000 manufactured homes in Texas, housing 7.4% of the state’s population, or nearly 1.9 million residents. The parks are owned by a company or individual investor, with individual lots leased to families, typically through an annual or month-to-month lease. The family either owns or rents the mobile home on the lot.
In Texas cities, mobile home parks have historically been concentrated in low-income neighborhoods. As real estate values in these neighborhoods escalate through gentrification, the parks are among the most vulnerable properties for redevelopment. Over the years, a number of mobile home parks in Texas have closed in areas undergoing gentrification to make way for higher-end development. When residents are displaced from their mobile home communities, they must navigate a housing market with very few viable housing alternatives, and many are at risk of becoming homeless.
Fortunately, there are many actions local governments can take to preserve and improve these communities. The following are 8 tools that would improve the living conditions and housing stability of mobile home residents in Texas. Click on the tool to see highlights of the tool, a summary of the tool, as well as examples of the tool in use.
For more information about the threats and opportunities for preserving mobile home parks, visit our report on San Antonio’s mobile home parks, Endangered: San Antonio’s Vanishing Mobile Home Parks and a Path for Preservation.