Evergreen Habitat for Humanity Hopes to Buy a Vancouver Mobile Home Park to Create 280 Affordable Homes

In a region where affordable housing options keep shrinking, Evergreen Habitat for Humanity is pursuing a bold idea: buy two adjacent mobile home parks near Vancouver, Washington, preserve what already exists, and build significantly more affordable housing on the same land.

If the plan comes together, it could produce up to 280 affordable housing units in the Hazel Dell neighborhood just outside Vancouver city limits.

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A 19-Acre Opportunity Between Highway 99 and I-5

The proposal centers on Hidden Village Mobile Home Park 1 and 2, two neighboring parks on nearly 19 acres of land sandwiched between Highway 99 and Interstate 5. Together, the parks include 105 mobile home pads, of which about half are currently occupied.

The properties are for sale for $12 million. The idea took shape about two years ago, when the Vancouver Housing Authority approached Evergreen Habitat for Humanity about purchasing the parks and keeping them in the affordable housing ecosystem.

“None of our current projects is anything of this scale,” said Heather Cochrun, Evergreen Habitat’s director of community engagement and impact. “This would be a massive shift for us in what we’re able to accomplish.”

Not Just Preservation: Repairs, Replacements, and New Homes

Evergreen Habitat’s plan is not simply to keep the parks operating as-is. The nonprofit would first work on stabilizing and improving the existing housing stock by:

• Repairing current mobile homes
• Replacing “severely substandard units.”

From there, Evergreen Habitat would develop additional affordable housing types on the same property, such as:

• Townhomes
• Apartments
• Other affordable housing options appropriate for the site

At full build-out, the project could yield as many as 280 affordable units, creating new supply without displacing residents.

Why Mobile Home Parks Are a Flashpoint in Affordable Housing

Mobile home parks represent a shrinking category of affordable housing locally and nationally. One major reason is a trend of hedge funds and real estate investors buying parks and then raising the rent residents pay for the lots where their homes sit.

This is especially destabilizing for residents who own their homes but rent the land underneath them. Many people in manufactured housing communities are older adults who often rely on Social Security or other fixed incomes.

In some Vancouver parks today, residents reportedly pay as much as $1,350 per month in lot rent, even though they fully own their homes. That disconnect is part of what Evergreen Habitat is trying to address.

A “We’ve Done It” Example From Virginia

The Vancouver proposal is not the first time a Habitat organization has tried to protect a mobile home park from becoming unaffordable. Dan Rosensweig, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville and Central Virginia, said his chapter noticed this trend in its region and began acting around 2004.

Rosensweig’s Habitat chapter stepped in to buy a Virginia park that was slated to become luxury condos. The nonprofit then converted the 16-unit park into a 70-unit mixed-income community while keeping housing for existing residents.

“We’re living proof that it can be done,” Rosensweig said.

How Ownership Could Work: A Land Trust Model

Evergreen Habitat’s approach in Vancouver is still being determined, but the nonprofit says it would likely use a land-trust model similar to its other affordable housing developments. In that setup:

• Residents own their homes
• The nonprofit owns the land the homes sit on
• The structure is designed to keep homes affordable in perpetuity

Under this model, homeowners would pay around $30 to $40 per month for lot leases to cover administrative fees, according to Evergreen Habitat. That is a dramatic contrast to lot rents that can climb into the four figures under private ownership.

Another model used nationally is the resident-owned cooperative approach, in which residents collectively raise funds to purchase their park. Evergreen Habitat’s likely approach would avoid placing that fundraising burden on residents.

The Funding Gap: $6 Million Raised, $4 Million Requested

Evergreen Habitat has raised $6 million so far through the Washington State Department of Commerce’s Housing Trust Fund program and private commitments. The nonprofit is seeking an additional $4 million from the state Legislature through a budget appropriation via the Commerce Department.

Vancouver Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle wrote a letter supporting the request, calling the project an opportunity to preserve existing housing, expand affordable homeownership, and support long-term affordability in a transit-accessible corridor.

But the decision comes at a challenging moment. Even as Washington’s supplemental budget outlook has improved somewhat, lawmakers are still trying to fill a multibillion-dollar gap. The Legislature’s session runs until March 12, when the budget is expected to be finalized.

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A Test Case for the Region

If Evergreen Habitat for Humanity succeeds, the Hidden Village project could become a model for how nonprofits can preserve and expand affordability in manufactured housing communities: stabilize current residents, improve conditions, and add new affordable homes on the same footprint.

The question now is whether state lawmakers will fund the vision and help turn 19 acres in Hazel Dell into one of the region’s most ambitious affordability efforts.