The homeowners who live in Centennial Trail Community have bought the community from the previous owner, preserving 15 homes that will remain available and affordable for years to come. Centennial Trail has become a resident owned community (ROC) meaning the residents now own and manage their manufactured home park.
“The residents of Centennial Trail Community are excited to be the first Resident Owned Community (ROC) in Columbus. Columbus is a small town between I-90 and the Yellowstone River that has faced similar affordable housing issues as the rest of the state. Residents have shared their excitement at the idea of controlling their own lot rents and being able to help 15 Columbus households stay in their homes without fear of being displaced.” said Adam Poeschl, ROC Program Specialist for NeighborWorks Montana.
Residents are looking forward to installing a new, handmade wooden sign at the entrance to their community. They are also excited to take charge of the property maintenance and be able to get more creative with the beautification of their lots.
NeighborWorks Montana guided residents through the purchase process and will continue to support them as they build the skills and leadership they need to manage their community. In most manufactured-home parks, homeowners own their homes and pay lot rent to the park owner for the use of the land. In resident owned communities the lot rent goes to the resident cooperative and is managed to meet community needs, maintain affordability, and foster a sense of unity amongst the residents.
Preserving Homes that Montanans Can Afford
ROCs preserve an important source of unsubsidized affordable housing for working families, seniors, and people with lower incomes. Owning a home in a community like this is typically half as expensive as renting an apartment and owning allows homeowners an opportunity to build wealth. This is the first ROC conversion within Stillwater County, an area where the median home price is approximately $485,000 and housing stock is low. Now the community residents can control their lot rent and be at ease knowing that their community will not be sold out from under them.
ROCs Across Montana
Centennial Trail Community is the 17th resident owned community in the state of Montana, with a total of 670 homes preserved across the state. There are more than 302 ROCs in 20 states across the nation. NeighborWorks Montana provides the ROC program in Montana as part of the ROC USA® Network. The ROC USA® Network is made up of twelve non-profit affiliates across the country. The ROC program helps to provide safe, secure, and affordable housing in perpetuity, and it eliminates the risks for residents of rent increases or being evicted without cause.
Interested in the ROC Program?
NeighborWorks Montana has the financing, industry knowledge, and technical expertise to help your homeowners buy your community for its full value when you are ready to sell.
Visit nwmt.org/manufactured-housing for information about the resident ownership program, or contact NWMT Cooperative Housing Director, Danielle Maiden, at (406) 407-6444.
Learn More About ROC USA
ROC USA® is a non-profit social venture scaling resident ownership of manufactured home communities since 2008. Together with ROC USA® network, a group of nine regional non-profit affiliates, and ROC USA® Capital, a CDFI lending subsidiary, we work with more than 302 resident owned communities in 20 states.