Affordable homes in New England are increasingly at risk
Manufactured homes are an essential source of affordable housing in New England. However, residents in many of these communities own the homes themselves but not the land underneath them, making them vulnerable to unaffordable rent-hikes, mismanagement, and deteriorating infrastructure. To make matters worse, manufactured home communities have increasingly been targeted by investors and private equity firms who seek to purchase the parks for a profit, threatening the security of working families and seniors who call these communities home.
Resident-owned communities preserve affordable housing
New England Resident-Owned Communities (NEROC) helps manufactured homeowners cooperatively purchase and democratically manage their communities, preserving the quality and affordability of homes in our region.
Since the start of the program in 2009, NEROC has helped residents at 59 manufactured-home communities across New England purchase their communities, representing 5,800 individual homes that are now permanently affordable and more than $267 million in financing.
NEROC also helps residents advocate on both state and national levels. NEROC’s advocacy support helped to pass “Opportunity to Purchase” laws in Maine and Connecticut, making it easier for owners of manufactured-home communities to sell their parks directly to residents. NEROC also helped to pass a FY2023 spending bill that included the creation of the Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement (PRICE) Program. The $225M federal grant program provides funding to revitalize manufactured-home communities.
Read their stories
Whether you’re an owner or a resident, we can help.
If you’re an owner
We assist owners with their exit strategies at no cost to you and help residents purchase and successfully manage their own communities.
If you’re interested in selling your park, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us to learn more. You’ll walk away with a great price and leave behind a legacy of locally-controlled, permanently-affordable, and high-quality housing!
If you’re a resident
The NEROC team is made up of experienced advisors and technical assistants who can help residents:
· Organize to form a cooperative business
· Navigate the process of purchasing your community, including securing financing
· Learn how to run your community democratically
· Find funding sources for infrastructure improvements
If you’re a resident-owner
If you’re a resident of a manufactured-home community that has already made the transition to resident ownership and you are seeking help finding funding sources for water or wastewater infrastructure projects, CDI’s Water Infrastructure Support Program (WISP) can help. Click the button below to learn more about this new program.
NEROC Leadership
Julia Curry
Co-director of NEROC
Email: jcurry@cdi.coop
Before joining CDI, Julia worked for over a decade as a cooperative specialist with multi-family affordable housing cooperatives in Burlington, VT. She came to the realm of cooperatives with a background as an organizer in union, interfaith, and community organizing contexts. She has also served on the board of City Market/Onion River Cooperative since 2011, including two years as board president, leading the board through the co-op’s process of building a second store. Julia earned an M.A. in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University with a focus on social movements. She loves helping people grow and connect by working together.
Pat Schwebler
Co-director of NEROC
Email: pschwebler@cdi.coop
Pat’s background is in real estate, finance, nonprofits, and business management. Working as a realtor in an urban setting, Pat developed an educational first-time homebuyer program and helped over 50 new Americans secure their first home. She served as co-chair of a nonprofit that provided emergency shelter to victims of domestic violence. Before joining CDI she was executive director of a senior center and worked to improve community conditions for the elderly. She helped create a free medical equipment loan closet in Kennebunk, Maine and served on Kennebunk’s Committee on Aging. Pat obtained her B.A. in Communications and graduate certificate in grant writing from the University of Southern Maine.
Meet the NEROC Team
Nora Gosselin | Market Development Acquisitions Specialist
Email: ngosselin@cdi.coop
Nora Gosselin joined CDI in 2019 as a Cooperative Housing Specialist, and moved into the Market Development and Acquisitions role in 2021. Prior to joining CDI, Nora lived in a co-op for four years. During her time there, she worked as the treasurer, housing coordinator, and as an intern with the North American Students of Cooperation (NASCO). Nora has a BA in Urban Studies, and wrote a thesis focused on the regulatory and cultural barriers that face housing cooperatives in small cities. Nora has also worked as a waitress, barista, bookstore clerk, volunteer radio DJ, and coordinator/counselor for a music education program. She lives in Providence, RI.
Jason Brady | Regional Manager for CT, MA, and RI
Email: jbrady@cdi.coop
Jason guides residents of manufactured-home communities through the acquisition process, and advises and trains them on how to successfully operate their communities. Before joining CDI, Jason supported environmental and working-family initiatives including community organizing, canvassing, event planning, directing outreach campaigns, and training for issue-advocacy organizations. Jason is also one of the founders of the Nickel City Housing Cooperative in Buffalo, NY. He graduated the University at Buffalo, SUNY with a BA in Environmental Studies.
Jason Brady | Cooperative Development Specialist
Email: ccervantes@cdi.coop
Having worked in a variety of fields, Chris has developed a deep appreciation for the power of collaboration. From instrument restoration to food trucks to custom carpentry, he has direct experience working alongside others; and refining his approach and understanding of cooperation to achieve greater goals. Now he is excited to apply his experience to participate in the development of a cooperative economy.
Thomas Choate | Cooperative Development Specialist
Email: tchoate@cdi.coop
Thomas’ background includes time as a research analyst, natural builder, carpenter, and a developer. This has included work with the Reinvestment Fund Development Partners, Dr. Susan Wachter, co-director of Penn Institute for Urban Research and Professor of Real Estate at Wharton, QBL Real Estate, a national consultancy for municipal and cultural development partnerships, and Carolina Common Enterprise. Most recently, he provided business planning, investor relations, project management, and “deep green” land planning as a consultant for community-minded real estate developments, large and small, and similar projects in Asheville, NC. Originally from Austin, Texas, Thomas studied Latin American Politics at Southwestern University and received a masters in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania.
Vanessa Gonzalez | Cooperative Development Specialist
Email: vgonzalez@cdi.coop
With a wealth of professional experience in community engagement, Vanessa has passionately collaborated with diverse communities, including teen parents, the LGBTQ+ community, individuals living with HIV, and survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. Driven by a commitment to reproductive justice, public health, and advocacy, Vanessa is thrilled to channel their expertise toward fostering collaborations within communities, particularly in the realm of cooperative housing. Their passion for equitable, community-based solutions encourages them to create sustainable, inclusive living environments.
Melissa Mullineaux | Cooperative Development Specialist
Email: mmullineaux@cdi.coop
Melissa received her Associates degree studying behavioral sciences through Granite State College and her BA in social work through the University of Southern Maine. Melissa has worked in Portland, Maine as a social worker for the past 8 years, where she has been working with communities and individuals struggling in homelessness, poverty, mental health issues and substance abuse. She earned her Master degree in Policy Planning and Management with a track in Sustainable Development and Geospatial Technologies and a graduate certificate in Community Planning and Development in May of 2016. While earning her graduate degree, Melissa remained working as a Cumberland County mental health emergency response crisis worker and did various work for the Association of State Wetland Managers in Windham, Maine and the Center for Business and Economic Development in Portland, Maine. Melissa has lived in Maine on and off for most of her life. She has a passion for equity for all and environmental issues.
Libby O’Flaherty | Cooperative Development Specialist
Email: loflaherty@cdi.coop
Prior to joining CDI, Libby worked with the Prison Birth Project and Community Action’s Family Center, providing wrap-around care to high needs families in Franklin and Hampden counties, as well as the first point of contact for evacuees to Franklin County following Hurricane Maria in 2017. Libby has developed a workshop on compensatory options for rural survivors of Intimate Partner Violence which has been presented to the Department of Health, among others. Libby is a graduate of Tufts and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and resides in Franklin County, MA.
Grace Pfeil | Cooperative Development Specialist
Email: gpfeil@cdi.coop
Grace comes to CDI with a background in tenant organizing and nonprofit communications and community engagement, as well as experience working on local and state level progressive policy. Through these experiences, she has had the opportunity to witness the power of collective community action, and what we can achieve when we work together. Grace is excited to apply her experience to support resident-owned communities.