Within hours after a tornado wreaked destruction on Gaylord, the Otsego Community Foundation sprung into action, launching a relief fund to help victims of the disaster.

The non-profit organization, which manages charitable funds to support local causes, is spearheading the Tornado Response Fund, raising money to help hundreds of residents as well as businesses impacted by the May 20 tornado that swirled along a two-mile-stretch of the city.

The foundation hopes to raise $1 million, a goal not too far off after just three weeks. To date, nearly $800,000 has been raised through individual donors from across the country as well as a host of businesses in Gaylord, the surrounding region and Michigan. The money will be used for immediate relief, short-term recovery and long-term rebuilding efforts.

The response has been incredible. Its so heartwarming, says Dana Bensinger, executive director of the Otsego Community Foundation. I think as a nation weve been pretty divided the last couple of years, but this has been absolutely uniting.

Even her 14-year-old son, who has helped with clean up efforts, remarked about how it was really cool to see all different kinds of different people working together.

Gaylord, a city of about 4,000 off Interstate 75 in Otsego County, is a year-round tourist destination and highway stopover, welcoming outdoor enthusiasts to the surrounding state parks, forests and rivers, as well as ski areas and golf courses.

The help from outside Gaylord has been amazing, including a lot of letters and notes with Bible verses, offering hope, Bensinger said. They come with checks of all sizes.

According to the National Weather Service, the tornado first touched down in eastern Antrim County and strengthened as the funnel moved west across Otsego County. The tornado was deemed an EF-3 -- a severe rating -- with winds of up to 150 mph in and around Gaylord.

Two people were killed and 44 people were injured as the tornado swept through Gaylord that Friday afternoon, according to news reports. The tornado damaged numerous homes -- tearing through a manufactured home community and businesses, mostly along Route 32, west of downtown Gaylord. Trees were knocked down and cars were flipped.

Initially, with those that were impacted, they were devastated. There was a lot of shock, said Erin Mann, executive director of Otsego County United Way, which is partnering with the Otsego Community Foundation in relief efforts and organizing volunteers. Other community organizations and churches are helping as well.

The community rallied together quickly, she added. We jumped into action. There is a lot of support and a sense of connection, people wanting to help one another. There is hope but we have a long road ahead of us.

Mann noted that about 1,000 people from across the state initially volunteered to help in the aftermath. Hundreds of volunteers have helped with cleanup, sorting and organizing supplies and distributing food.

Local officials cannot recall Gaylord sustaining a weather-related disaster of this magnitude. In all, the tornado damaged 210 homes, about half of them were completely destroyed. Thirty percent had 50 percent damage. Nearly 40 commercial properties sustained damage, and dozens of cars were damaged or destroyed.

We are only 20 days in and while hopeful, we have a long road ahead, Bensinger said. Recovery is not only about the restoration of structures, systems and services although they are critical. It is also about addressing sources of inequitable and unjust outcomes, and individuals and families being able to rebound from their losses and sustain their physical, social, economic, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.

The Tornado Response Fund is aimed at providing relief on three different levels.Immediate relief has targeted providing the basic needs of the victims. Those needs include shelter and food. The fund was able to get money out right away to the Refuge, a nonprofit focusing on emergency shelter. To date, the Refuge has served 32 families, placing them in hotels and rentals. Other basic needs included helping people repair damaged cars so they can get to work.

To keep people out of the poverty cycle, we have to keep them working, Bensinger said.

Short-term recovery, she said, moves beyond immediate relief to help with longer-term issues such as housing. A lot of families in hotels are going to have to stay there awhile -- they have nowhere to go, she said. In addition, the fund was recently awarded a grant to hire two case workers to help victims navigate through the assistance system.

Were spending a lot of time in discussions to figure out what long-term building looks like, she said. We dont know what we are going to need as a community yet. We are not far enough in the process yet. We do anticipate that we will need a large chunk of money -- $500,000 -- for long-term building effort, leveraging federal, state or private grants to help out with the communitys needs.

While short-term housing is a huge need right now, affordable housing for those who have lost their homes will be an issue down the road. And there are a host of other concerns, including the mental health of those impacted by the tornado.

There are so many other aspects. Were still learning. This is all really new to us, Bensinger said.

The Oil and Gas Industry Friends of Otsego County made up of 11 producers quickly joined forces to put up a $180,000 match to the community, which was not only filled in less than 72 hours but really created momentum for the fund.

Donations have come from corporate and fraternal foundations, including Consumers Energy Foundation, $25,000, the Michigan Elks Association Charitable Organization Fund, $10,000, as well as other community foundations and businesses, including Meyer Ace Hardware, a hardware chain in northern Michigan. The family-owned business donated $15,000, matching donations contributed by customers.

We were very fortunate our store in Gaylord was not damaged and none of our employees were directly affected, said Jonathan Meyer, whose family owns and operates the stores in Petoskey, Harbor Springs and St. Ignace. Each store participated in the fund drive.

Meyer said customer response was overwhelming.

Meyer Ace Hardware presents check to the Tornado Response Fund.I think we really had an excellent response. We had more than 3,000 customers contribute, he said. Customers were asked to donate $1, $3 or $5 during checkout -- the average donation was $3.80. There were a lot of people contributing $5 or more.

Meyer, whose hardware has been in Gaylord 12 years, praised the Otsego Community Foundation for its efforts.

Dana (Bensinger) and her team are doing a tremendous job, rallying the troops and collecting money for the fund, he said. Im amazed what that team is doing for the community.

Its not the first time the Otsego Community Foundation has sprung into action because of a community-wide emergency. The organization raised money for its COVID19 Response Fund during the pandemic. The fund provided more than $100,000 to organizations, nonprofits and small businesses.

Ironically, that fund closed in mid May we spent that down, just in time to start the fund for the tornado response, Bensinger said.

To donate, go to the Tornado Response Fund.

Read the rest here:
Gaylord: A community comes together - Second Wave Media

Each home is different, but knowing where to shelter can keep you safe during a tornado warning.

TOLEDO, Ohio Home is where we feel safe and protected. Though we feel comfortable, when severe weather rolls in, do you know where your safe spot is? Whether you live in an apartment, manufactured home or have a basement, there are different ways to stay safe from the storm.

When sheltering from severe weather, Erik Konecki from the Wood County Emergency Management Agency said, there are two rules to remember. First rule is to get as low as you possibly can. Second, put as much space as possible between you and the outside world.

Many know that if your home has a basement that you need to shelter there, away from any windows or glass. The best spot to shelter in the basement is under the stairwell in the most interior part. Not everyone has a basement as a shelter option, so make sure you are on the ground floor, the lowest you can possibly reach, and the most interior that you can be.

These same ideas are also true for those living in an apartment. However, each apartment is different. If you live on an upper floor and cannot get to lower ground, seek shelter in the interior portion of the apartment, away from as many things that could break. Sheltering in a bathroom is a good place and gives you the option to pull the shower curtain to help protect from flying debris. If you have time, covering with a mattress overtop adds a layer of protection, along with closing the door. If the apartment has a lot of windows, sliding couches or furniture in front of the windows can help protect and put more between you and the outside. Konecki encourages renters to make friends living on the ground level and ask your landlord about shelter options.

If you live in a mobile home, it is especially important that you monitor weather news. Those living in manufactured homes are encouraged to have an emergency plan to follow in case of severe storms. If there is a watch or whisperings of severe weather in the area later that day, plan and reach out to neighbors and friends to shelter in their safe spots. If you must shelter in a mobile home, head to the center, and cover your head and body.

When sheltering from a tornado or derecho, it is important to get as low as you can, and to distance yourself away from the outside world. There is a popular myth to open a window before the storm because of pressure changes when the storm approaches. This is not true as it wastes time and it violates one of the top sheltering rules.

Finally, when sheltering in your safe spot, dress in long pants, coats, and close-toe shoes. Also, take the time to freshen your emergency kit as severe weather season gets underway.

The rest is here:
At home, do you know where your safe spot is? | Severe Weather Awareness Week - WTOL

Christi Watkins is grateful for her parents and their basement.

After losing my business in Las Vegas to COVID I had to move back home to Michigan, said Watkins, who is a government employee and a Wayne State University grad student working to complete her masters degree in psychology.

Her rent there was $1,800 but it was a three bedroom home near the strip and it had a pool and spa.

I moved home to find squatters in the house I had rented in Hazel Park, Watkins said.

So, she ventured out into the storm of Michigan residents, individuals and families, searching for homes to buy or houses, apartments, studio flats, and rooms to rent during a shortage of inventory and high costs.

Rents have exploded across the country, causing many to dig deep into their savings, downsize to subpar units or fall behind on payments and risk eviction now that a federal moratorium has ended. Rental costs rose a half percent in January from December, according to the United States Labor Department.

That may seem small, but its the biggest monthly jump in 20 years, and will likely accelerate.

Plus, many of the landlords are not only asking for security fees and first and last months rent but pet fees, and a complete credit check. Watkins earns a fair wage with her government job and also brings in extra money driving for Shipt but due to her student loans does not have the best credit score.

I looked at over 200 apartments, Watkins said, and while she did find a studio flat with a rent she could afford she could not justify the $7,000 in fees they were asking for an apartment that had no bedroom.

I gave up, Watkins said. I moved in with my parents and gave them the money I would have paid for rent, which helped them with their mortgage.

According to data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a two-bedroom rental unit averages $877 per month in Michigan. Thats a nearly 10% increase from 2018.

In some places the rent has skyrocketed.

Before I moved to Las Vegas I was paying $700 for a two bedroom house in Ferndale, Watkins said. That same house is now renting for $1,900.

At the same time, Michigans affordable housing stock, rental units that rent for less than $800 per month, have been dropping significantly year-over-year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau data. Between 2015-2019, the number of affordable housing units statewide has decreased by 18% from 541,677 units in 2015 to 443,079 in 2019, the most recent data available.

In Macomb County, affordable housing stock dropped by 27% during that time period while that same number dropped in Oakland County by 37% and 12% in Wayne County.

Ashlee Campbell and her four children were homeless for a while because she was unable to find anything she could afford.

Parents burdened by costs as child care providers struggle to survive

I was working, Campbell said. In fact, shes been working for the past seven years as a medical biller for Binsons Medical Equipment and Supplies in Center Line. But I wasnt able to afford much.

She and her boyfriend were renting a home together but after they broke up she and the children had to move into a one bedroom apartment, which cost her $800 a month.

She once thought about becoming a partner with Habitat for Humanity, but the requirements have changed and she is no longer eligible for the program.

After a long search, Campbell gave up on the idea of renting and instead found a manufactured home, which she was able to finance on her own with the help of Macomb Charitable Foundation (MCF), a nonprofit organization that helps county families with a variety of needs.

Leah McCall, executive director of the Alliance for Housing-Oakland County, said due to limited resources, the amount of subsidized housing is not making up for the shortfall in non-subsidized housing.

Without appropriate government subsidies to make up the difference, there is a shortage of affordable housing and an increase in rent, she said.

All of southeast Michigan has seen significant increases in median rent prices over the past four years, including government-set fair market rent, which are used primarily to help determine assistance amounts for individuals living in Section 8 housing and flat rent for public housing.

Due to the rapid rise in rent, McCall said that the amount of rental housing across metro Detroit that meet fair market price standards is decreasing. Fair market rents vary by metro area and by county.

This means that even when income-eligible households are able to secure rental assistance or housing vouchers, they are unable to use them, she said.

This combination of increased rent and scarce affordable housing options has put Michigans 1.4 million renters, especially the nearly 700,000 renters making less than $35,000 per year, in a bind as the economy continues its recovery from the height of the pandemic and inflation drives up prices for basic daily necessities.

In February, around 218,000 Michigan renters were not confident at all that they would be able to pay their March rent while over 283,000 renters said they were not caught up on their rent, of which around 26,000 said eviction was likely by the end of April, according to the U.S. Census Bureaus Household Pulse Survey. These numbers represent 15% to 20% of Michigans 18 and older renter population.

David Allen, chief market analyst at the Michigan State Housing Development Administration (MSHDA), said there seems to be a number of factors at play pushing median rent prices upward.

One is the fact that the supply of rental units is low relative to the demand for it, he said. This reflects the fact that housing production in the state is way below pre-Great Recession levels.

Allen said another primary factor pushing rent costs higher and higher is the lack of for-sale homes, which is driving some who would otherwise be buyers into renting.

This tends to increase the prices on the rental units being sought in the market, he said.

According to federal data, nearly 30% of rental units in Michigan are priced between $1,000 and $1,500 per month. And 38% of Michigan renters report their rent is at least 35% of their household income.

In Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties, between 15% and 38% of all rental units are priced between $1,000 to $1,500 per month with 35% to 47% of renters reporting that their rent costs total at least 35% of their household income.

Households that spend more than 30% of their income on rent are referred to as cost burdened, according to HUD. In 2019, 37.1 million households, or 30.2% of all U.S. households, fit this category.

Loved ones of Macomb, Oakland suicide victims stress proactive approach

Although the situation has worsened since the pandemic, Allen said half of the states renters pre-pandemic were paying more than 30% of their incomes on housing costs.

He added the pandemic has exacerbated these affordability issues for renters.

The effects of this are most felt among lower-income workers and racial/ethnic minorities, he said. These are the very households that were already having a hard time making ends meet.

The financial burden of the increasing cost of rent falls hardest on the half of workers in the U.S. who earn less than $35,000 each year.

New home construction booming in Macomb County

Even if they find housing they can rent, after paying rent along with security deposits and other fees, about 80% of renter households with incomes under $30,000 have between $360 and $490 left to cover all other expenses, including food, health care, transportation and child care.

Weve helped 40 families in the last year with first months rent or security deposits, who exhausted all other resources available to them, said Shelly Penzien, founder and CEO of Macomb Charitable Foundation, which has also helped families such as Campbells with food and other basic needs.

Penzien said shes noticed that since the pandemic landlords are asking for a lot more in terms of security deposits and added fees.

Ernest Cawvey, director of Macomb Community Action, believes the housing market overall has added to the pressures of finding affordable housing but there is help for residents.

Even though the federal moratorium protecting renters against eviction for non-payment of rent expired last August, a Michigan Supreme Court order continues to require district courts to temporarily halt the eviction process for renters applying for financial assistance through the Michigan COVID Emergency Rental Assistance (CERA) Program.

The CERA program has made over $700 million in federal dollars available to renters needing help paying their rent or utility bills. Michigan renters have received, on average, $4,470 in assistance while the average household has received $5,727.

Its important for everyone to know that we are here to help, Cawvey said.

Over $533 million has been spent on rent assistance while another $86 million has been spent to help renters pay their utility bills.

Over 138,000 Michigan renters have received assistance including over 9,000 in Macomb County, totaling $49 million, 12,000 in Oakland County totaling $70 million and a total of $193 million in Wayne County.

There is still over $100 million in assistance available through the Michigan CERA program with many renters having been approved for financial aid multiple times.

Currently, there is no state law that caps or restricts rent charges, but MSHDA does have some ability to impact the percentage of rent increase that can be charged at properties that have a state or federal housing subsidy or housing choice voucher attached to it.

The Housing Choice Voucher Program, which serves 28,000 Michiganders, allows renters to lease a unit of their choice provided that it meets federal quality standards. The owners requested rent is then determined reasonable based on HUD and MSHDA requirements.

If the rent is determined not to be reasonable, based on specified standards, MSHDA must deny the request and the owner must either lower the rent to conform with the requirements or the family must select another unit, said Katie Bach, a spokesperson for MSHDA.

Generally, landlords are being encouraged to charge rent based on the percentage of the homes market value. Typically, the rents that landlords charge fall between 0.8% and 1.1% of the homes value.

Landlords are also recommended to consider what others are charging for similar rentals in their area.

Having found a place to buy Campbell she said she will never go back to renting.

I might upgrade to a bigger place, she said, noting that once she raises her credit score she might even look at upgrading to a bigger place. Right now, Im confident where Im at. The house has new carpeting, a new stove, new paint. Its a home and I live in a cul de sac, so I dont have to worry about the kids playing outside with cars going by. Im very content.

As is Watkins who has one tip for renters and that is to remain diligent and dont be afraid to try sources you might not otherwise consider.

I looked every month to find a place and finally tried something I would normally not do, I looked on Craigslist, Watkins said.

As it turns out, a family thought outside the box as well and posted a listing on the classified advertisement for a mother-in-law suite for rent.

The family built this for their mother and she passed, Watkins said.

It came furnished and look at the view I have, Watkins said, from the kitchen in her one bedroom suite in St. Clair Shores.

View post:
Rentals at a premium in Macomb County and metro area - The Macomb Daily

JARRELL Judith Johnson hid in a closet with her husband, her mother and their two dogswhen a tornado struck the outskirts of Jarrell on Monday.

Four days later, she stood relaxed and chatting on her front porch. Only the roofs of a few sheds had been destroyed on her property, unlike in 1997, when atornado that hit Jarrell flattened herhouse and killed27 people in the area.

Officials on Friday said the tornado damaged or destroyed about 24 homes and a few businesses in the areas ofCounty Road 305, County Road 307, County Road 396 and County Road 487 northwest of Jarrell.

Two tornadoes hit Williamson County on Monday, including the one that started inJarrell, about 50 miles north of Austin. The other tornado beganat the intersection of Interstate 35 and Texas 45 in Round Rock. A third tornado hit the Elgin area in Bastrop County.No one was killed by the three twisters.

"The fact that we are cleaning up debris and we are not at funerals is amazing," Williamson County Commissioner Russ Boles said at a news conference Friday in Jarrell.

More:Central Texas communities recover from outbreak of tornadoes

Friday's event was at Jarrell Memorial Park, which stands on the site of what was once Larry Igo's home. Igo and his wife and their three children were killed in the 1997 tornado when their house was ripped from its foundation.

The tornadoes in Williamson County on Monday damaged about 33 businesses, County Judge Bill Gravell said at the news conference. The twisters also destroyed 1,000 homes in the county, with most of the damage in Round Rock.

Gravell said he had requested that Gov. Greg Abbott apply for federal assistance and was expecting Federal Emergency Management Agency teams to arrive in the county to assess damage next week.

Jarrell Mayor Larry Bush said that he and his wife had lived through the 1997 tornado, and it had been much bigger than the one that hit on Monday.

Watch:See videos that captured tornadoes, high winds tearing through Elgin, Round Rock

"The tornado that came in 1997 was three-quarters of a mile wide. … The tornado on Monday was actually smaller," he said.

Meteorologists rated the 1997 Jarrell tornado as an EF-5, the top of the Enhanced Fujita scale, with winds at 261 mph. The winds in the tornadoon Monday were estimated to have reached 100mph.

The path of the tornado that hit Jarrell on Monday at one point crossed the path that the 1997 killertornado had taken, officials said.

Two businesses in the area were destroyed, Bushsaid. There was amixture of damage in the area, he said.

"We've seen several manufactured homes that were taken down to the tires, and then we've seen a couple of shingles missing," he said.

How strong was the Jarrell tornado?Storm spun with 100-mph winds, partially overlapped path of deadly 1997 twister

Bush said the county's weather alert system,which sends notifications to cellphones, helped residents escape serious injuries on Monday.

Volunteers, including Jarrell school district Superintendent Toni Hicks, were in Jarrell on Friday helping clean up debris. Hicks said she also helped clean up the debris from the 1997 tornado.

"In 1997,the concrete was pulled off the road and trees were stripped clean," she said. "This is not like that. The tornado bounced around," she said.

Another volunteer, Larnell Camus, described some of the items she and her relatives had picked off the ground Fridayin Jarrell. "It was a lot of personal checks, like canceled checks, and pictures and perfect attendance awards," she said.

Johnson said she and her husband were out of town during the 1997 Jarrell tornado, but when they returned home all she could find were eight buried chains on their property where they once had a small frame house, several classic carsand tools.Amish volunteers helped rebuild her home in 1997, she said.

On Friday, she walked out of her home and found a picture of a little girl in a basketball uniform on her property, she said. Johnson said she returned it to the neighbors that she thought had lost it.

"They broke into tears, and I hugged them," she said. "I said to them, 'Things will come and things will go but you are still here.'"

The city of Round Rock announced it will hostacleanup event Saturday in the Kensington and Windy Park neighborhoods for the public to help withtornado recovery efforts.

Those who volunteer will help clear construction debris and tree limbs that are lining street curbs and load it into garbage trucks. People are asked to park and sign up at either Dell Technologies Building No. 3,2300 Greenlawn Blvd., or atSuccess High School,500 Gattis School Road.

Volunteers can arrive at either location at 8-8:30 a.m. or 12-12:30 p.m.

View original post here:
Officials in tornado-weary Jarrell relieved property damage was worst of Monday twister - Austin American-Statesman

When I was a much younger man, a close friend became obsessed with astrology. This former high-school valedictorian and regional science fair winner went all in on the stars, using them to analyze everything and everybody, from U.S. presidents to parents to my marriage prospects with a new girlfriend. He talked about moon phases, this star aligning with that galaxy, and how a particular planetary conjunction explained the stock markets rise or a baseball teams fall. Listening to him made my head spin like Jupiters moons.

But one of his astrology terms stuck with me and applies to perhaps the greatest change well ever witness in home building: the Great Convergence.

There was an earlier convergencenot of the stars but of business and culturein a different industry (automotive) that eventually had a profound impact on home building. It began with the Japanese quality movement of the 1950s, from which the tools and techniques of quality, productivity, and Lean process spread from Japan to Korea and later to at least some European automakers.

By 1980, U.S. automakers had fallen so far behind that many experts predicted there would be no American-built vehicles by the year 2000. And, after decades complaining about predatory pricing and unfair trade practices, the Detroit gang finally woke up and accepted the source of the problem was overseas competition becoming much more efficient, with far better quality than domestic producers.

In fact, foreign competitors didnt steal American market share, as the politicians decried; rather, they earned it by providing superior value. Higher quality, better gas mileage, and lower cost offered a potent combination many consumers couldnt overlook.

It took considerable time and tremendous investment, but U.S. automakers slowly caught up, to the point where American quality and productivity began to rival the best foreign competition in the early 2000s. Today, U.S.-built cars dont just meet the quality and value of overseas product, they often exceed it.

That convergence of technology and culture in automobile production helped wake up our own building industry during the 1990s. Back then, I was the sole building industry member of the Detroit Deming Study Group, which met with the late Dr. W. Edwards Deming, the venerable quality guru, during his monthly trips to Detroit to help turn around American carmakers40 years after he had done the same for Japan!

I felt a bit lonely sitting with 40 to 50 automotive quality and production experts, and their attitude toward me was, What are you doing here? They were reacting to the legacy of post-war tract housing in this countrynot one to be especially proud of. You may not have been around to build them, but many of you lived in those poorly built homes.

The change in home building began, just as in automotive, with a focus on back-end inspect it in quality through massive rework, described as brute-force quality. Gradually, we began to understand the need to move upstream to a prevention model and, as a result, product improvedthough weve yet to reach the automotive industrys levels of quality, efficiency, and build it right the first time mentality and practices. Many builders still havent gotten the message. On the whole though, homes now are much better than those of the previous era.

Yetand this is a critical pointhome building productivity lags behind virtually every other industry. What are we doing about it?

Now comes the new great convergence in home building: the manufacturing and technology revolution that will change our industry forever. Im talking about a pervasive shift to off-site construction methods.

Im in my fourth decade in home building, and this is the Fourth Wave Ive experienced pushing the claim that off-site (factory-built, industrialized, building systemscall it what you want) production will enter housings mainstream, none of the past waves having lived up to the hype or expectations. In a previous column, I described how the late Bill Pulte told his three-day training class for new management recruits how the manufacturing revolution in home building was only this farholding his thumb and forefinger about an inch apartfrom happening in the 44 years since the end of World War II. That was in 1989.

Nearly 30 years after that class, and not long before his passing, I asked Bill for an update on home buildings manufacturing transformation. With a wry smile, he held up his thumb and forefinger again, this time less than half an inch apart, and declared, Today about THIS far. He then added, It will happen though. Maybe not in my lifetime, but certainly in yours.

Thats how far wed come in the nearly 75 years since the mid-1940s. But its worse than that. Look back at Sears Roebuck & Co., which built and shipped 70,000 complete home kits from 1908 through 1940 through its mail-order Modern Homes program. Each piece of the home was precut and labeled, including framing, wiring, plumbing, flooring, cabinets, and so on ... even the proverbial kitchen sink.

Those homes were great when they were built, and theyre still great today. I know because until grade six I grew up in one of those homes in southern Indiana, as did my grandparents in another home just around the corner. I can drive you through my current hometown of Plymouth, Mich., and show you at least 25 of these Sears houses (although some may be almost exact knockoffs of Sears plans built by other manufacturers), all remodeled and updated numerous times over the years. Theyre still solid family homes today. Once you know their look, youll find them across America.

Pause a moment here to consider how much the design and production of automobiles has progressed in the past 100 or so years. How about airplanes? Appliances? Audio equipment? Telephones? Electronics? Television wasnt even a fantasy in 1922, let alone cell phones and the internet.

How about the evolution of homes? Compared with those industries, home buildings progress has been marginal, at best. Today, fewer than 3% of new homes are manufactured off-site. Fewer than 5% are panelized, even at the most basic level. Trusses have 60% market penetration, yet, if you measure the true total cost of on-site vs. off-site methods, including the impact of saved schedule days, that figure should be more than 90%.

Given these past 100 years of performing below expectations, how can I now assert that today, off-site manufactured solutions are about to transform the home building industry? Yes, I am crawling out on a lam-beam here and declaring the Fourth Wave is here for real and it will change home building forever.

I base this on a simple observation of whats going on all around us, evidenced at the most recent National Association of Home Builders International Builders Show, in Orlando, Fla. The number of new technology companies focused on all phases of home building was incredible, the excitement palpable. And, notably, there were investors roaming around with briefcases full of money, looking to invest in the next big thing in housing.

Personally, Im now working with three companies that are pushing significant changes in the technology, one thats been around for decades, one now about five years old, and one brand new. Just last week, another old-line firm and an additional brand new one contacted me, asking for help in this arena. If I sign any more nondisclosure agreements, I fear I wont be able to talk to my own family members. These arent just interesting times but genuinely exciting ones.

Its easy to identify at least 10 significant changes driving or enabling this change. Ive listed them here for you to consider, and will follow up with more detail on each in my next column. There are, no doubt, more elements, and Id love to hear your take on whats driving the movement toward off-site methodsor whats holding it back. Heres what I see as the key drivers (1 through 5) and enablers (6 through 10):

1. Housing demand and shortage

2. Labor shortages

3. Material shortages

4. Cycle-time inflation

5. Sustainability

6. Availability of investment capital

7. Technology breakthroughs in computer software

8. Technology breakthroughs in robotics

9. Learning-curve acceleration

10. New methods for making true total cost comparisons

From my experience, those elements make it clear we are genuinely on our way in this, the Fourth Wave of the manufacturing technology revolution in housing. But there is still a critical missing link, and without it, progress will be slow. Simply, we have to be brutally honest and consider why the vast majority of home building software technologies still fall short of their promised impact.

For example, most all of the many packages designed to make scheduling a breeze by publishing to a portal accessed 24/7 by suppliers and trades are simply not working. Were surrounded by irrefutable evidence of this. When we run our TrueNorth LeanWeeks with 20 to 30 suppliers and trades participating, we always ask, How many of you have someone check jobsites the day before the schedule says theyre ready, to determine if you should really send out a crew or deliver materials?a practice we call scouting. Across literally hundreds of groups, the number of hands raised averages 80%.

The next question, Why do you not use the portal to replace the considerable expense of scouting? is at first followed by nervous laughter across the room. With some coaxing, one brave soul will inevitably explain, We just cant trust it, after which youll see all suppliers and trades nodding in unison, along with builder field superintendents as well.

Again, theres nothing wrong with the software itself. But the fact that 80% of suppliers and trades are scouting sites instead of relying on software is prima facie evidence that systems are failing at some point in the process. The problem is that in todays world of labor and material shortages, these portals are worse than worthless if the system isnt updated for each project, each day (at least), both in the field and in the office.

Worse than worthless? Absolutely. Because if the portal schedule sends the wrong crew or a delivery to the wrong place, or the right place on the wrong day, the cost is huge in supplier/trade loyalty and, ultimately, in pricing. I learned decades ago from great mentors, such as Mike Rhoads in Chicago and Gary Grant in Minnesota, that builders with the best schedulers get the best crews and best pricing, simply because they are the most profitable for suppliers and trades.

Now make the translation to the application of manufacturing technology. Plans, elevations, specifications, options, and selections that affect the off-site building process must be continually transmitted and confirmed. That goes for comparatively simple components such as stairs, cabinets, and open panels, as well as more complex production of closed panels, all of the way to full-on modular or volumetric building. This information must be so reliable that the off-site plant can absolutely take it to the bank, without exception.

I once asked the president of a large home building company in a distant city to name his most difficult supplier in terms of communication and cooperation. He didnt hesitate, proclaiming, The panel plant. Irony No. 1: The panel plant made the identical comment about the builder. Irony No. 2: Both builder and plant were owned by the same parent company. Whenever someone says a company should be more like a family, my first question is, Which family? This particular family was clearly dysfunctional.

Continual, vigilant, completely accurate and timely communication means everything for reaping the promise of the Fourth Wave from which our industry is truly revolutionized. Anything less means failure, and the dream of better product at lower cost, with less dependence on on-site labor, and significant reduction in cycle time will remain forever elusive. The home building stars are now well-aligned for this revolution, and its up to all of us, on all sides of this rather complex equation, to do our part to make it happen.

Will my prediction prove out? Thinking back on my astrology-obsessed friends predictions, I expect to fare much better. He got some right, but many wrong, including his warning that my then-girlfriend and I were in for big trouble should we marry. Im happy to report45 years, four kids, and three grandkids laterI woke up next to her this morning with both of us agreeing: So far, so good!

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What's Driving the Move to Off-Site Construction in Home Building? | Pro - Pro Builder

CANTON Many Stark County property owners are set to receive their 2022 property tax bills in the mail this week.

Payments for the first half of the year are due by Feb. 23 at the Stark County Treasurer's office. The second half payment is due July 20. The first-half deadline for taxes on manufactured homes are due by March 8.

Property owners who fail to pay on time will be assessedinterest and a state-mandated penalty of 5% of the amount due for up to 10 days after the deadline and 10% of the amount after that.

More: Nearly 1,400 in Stark County file informal appeals of their new property values

More: Stark County housing market boom raising home values: See the change in your area on a map

Stark County Treasurer Alex Zumbar said the county's vendor PPI Graphics was to deliver 198,000 property tax bills to the U.S. Postal Service facilities in Cleveland by Monday.

About 56,000 of those mailings are informational notices to property owners where their mortgage lender has arranged an escrow service to pay property taxes for them. Zumbar said the cost of the mailing, which is required by state law, is roughly $100,000 a year.

Property owners who don't want to wait can check their bills online. They can go to the Stark County Auditor's Real Estate Search and look up their property by name (data format is last name and then first name without a comma), address or parcel number. They then click on the "Go" button on the right side under "Printable Tax Bill" under "Reports." The word "processing" will appear and if the property owner has disabled the browser popup blocker, the tax bill will appear in a separate browser tab.

Zumbar said by law, property owners are legally required to pay their property taxes by the deadline even if they don't receive a bill in the mail.

The county has four methods by which taxpayers can pay their bills without additional cost. He asks taxpayers to write the parcel numbers of the properties they're paying taxes for on all checks and money orders.

They can pay their bill in person by check, money order or cash at the Stark County Treasurer's Office on the second floor of the county office building,110 Central Plaza, Suite 250. Those who do this are asked but not required to wear a mask.

They can submit with their tax bill stub a payment by check and leave it in the dropbox of the lobby, whichis open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

Taxpayers can also sign up in advance for a prepayment program, which involves 10 payments debited from a bank account per year. It's too late to sign up for payments due in 2022. Contact treasurer's employee Rick Reigle at (330) 451-7814, extension 7824 or email him at rlreigle@starkcountyohio.gov.

Taxpayers can also sign up in advance for two payments debited from their bank accounts in February and July. Call Richard Willaman at (330) 451-7814, extension 7819 or email him at rcwillaman@starkcountohio.gov.

Taxpayers can mail their payment and incur the cost of postage. The payment must be postmarked by the deadline. And postal meter postmarks aren't considered valid. The address if mailing prior to the due date is: Stark County Treasurer, P.O. Box 24815, Canton, OH, 44701-4815. If mailing after the due date, mail to: Stark County Treasurer, 110 Central Plaza S, Suite 250, Canton, OH, 44702-1410.

Zumbar said due to the U.S. Postal Service's delivery woes a year ago, some payments mailed by the deadline from out of the county were notreceived until June. Otherswere lost. He said any tax penalties assessed in those situations were reversed.

Taxpayers can also pay by credit card or debit card by phone by calling 1-877-690-3729 and using jurisdiction code 4518. The fee is 2.35%. The payments must be divided into one for each parcel. For the same fee, taxpayers can pay by credit card or debit card online at the Treasurer's website. If taxpayers pay online by electronic check and submittheir routing and account numbers for their bank account, the fee is a flat $1.95.

The last payment option is to submit payment at one of three kiosks. The fees are the same as if paying online. The kiosks are at:

The Stark County Auditor's office last year completed the county's triennial update where county appraisers using computer software updated home values to reflect the housing market. Stark County Auditor Alan Harold told the Stark County commissioners Monday morning that residential property values in the county increased by a median 17 to 18%, reflecting booming demand in 2021 for houses.

With new levies approved by voters in 2020 and 2021 taking effect this year and the higher valuations, Harold said, property tax bills this year are up about an average of 8% from a year ago.

Reach Robert at (330) 580-8327 or robert.wang@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @rwangREP

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Property tax bills start landing in mailboxes this week - Canton Repository

These days, the presence of cooperatives across the United States is nearly universal. The largest sector is financial cooperatives, better known as credit unions. As of September 30, 2021, the National Credit Union Administration reports that 128.6 million Americans are member-owners of federally insured credit unions, which works out to about 38.6 percent of the nations population.

But the extent of cooperative business activity varies widely across regions and business sectors. Why have cooperatives been more successful in some areas than others? What are the most important ingredients for creating new co-ops? And how does the newest generation of co-ops differ from previous ones?

These were some of the questions that my colleagues at the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives and I sought to address in a recent report titled Collective Action in Rural Communities. In that report, we identified 945 cooperatives that were formed between 2011 and 2019, including 195 in rural communities and 750 in urban areas.

The findings are intriguing, including rapid growth of worker cooperatives and the emergence of sector-specific development strategies. There has been considerable innovation in the field of food co-op development. Additionally, the use of cooperative land ownership has provided increased economic security for tens of thousands of families living in manufactured housing (mobile home) communities. The demographics of who creates co-ops has also shifted. Increasingly, co-ops are being used by people in communities of colorespecially Black, Indigenous, and Latinx communitiesas tools for community wealth building and economic development.

Before delving further into what is new, it is helpful to understand some of the waves of co-op development that have preceded our own. One of these waves involved the development of rural electric cooperatives, which today provide power to over 40 million Americans. Back in the 1930s, however, only one out of every ten rural households enjoyed the benefits of electricity, even as electric power was already nearly universally available in cities. Children did their schoolwork by the light of kerosene lamps at kitchen tables, household chores were accomplished by hand or horse, and food had to be preserved to last the entire year. In 1935, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt established the Rural Electrification Administration (REA), which provided loans and assistance to groups of farmers who wanted to build and own their own electrical distribution systems. The Rural Electrification Act of 1936 established a lending agency to finance this effort. Farmers, familiar with the cooperative model, quickly established rural electric cooperatives to take advantage of the program. The REA provided ongoing organizational support to these cooperatives, which contributed to the overall success of the program. By 1953, more than 90 percent of rural homes had access to electricity, which brought profound changes to rural life and agricultural practices.

The story of rural electrification exemplifies the power of cooperative actionwhat is possible when a group of people work collectively to meet a shared need. Many of the countrys largest and most prominent cooperative sectors have equally impressive origin stories rooted in a combination of social upheaval, government intervention, coordinated support, and personal gumption. Credit unions are another example of a successful systematic public and private intervention to create new opportunities for consumers to access credit. The concept of cooperative credit gained popularity during the 1920s, and a national association was formed to organize credit unions, promote state-level authorizing legislation, and eventually win passage of the Federal Credit Union Act in 1934 (Moody & Fite 1971). Today, as noted above, the nations 5,000-plus credit unions collectively have 128.6 million members.

Large numbers of farmer-owned grain and dairy cooperatives were organized and sustained with the support of social movement organizations like the Grange, in response to critical market failures. Beginning in the 1840s, farmers formed dairy cooperatives to process cheese and butter, and to market fluid milk in urban areas. By 1909, there were more than 2,700 dairy cooperatives. During the same period, farmers organized cooperatives to build thousands of elevators to store and market grain (Schneiberg et al. 2008). Today, dairy cooperatives handle approximately 85 percent of the total milk marketed in the United States, and in 2020, agricultural cooperatives as a whole employed over 185,000 workers, with revenues exceeding $200 billion.

Consumer cooperativessuch as credit unions, rural utilities, and mutual insurers (e.g., Nationwide)are by far the largest segment of cooperatives, with over 90 percent of US cooperatives identifying as consumer owned. Consumer co-ops remain a common form for cooperatives started between 2011 and 2019, but their share is declining, while the share of worker co-ops is rising. This can be seen over the course of the decade since we conducted two surveys. In the first survey, which covered the period from 2011-2016, 40 percent of newly incorporated cooperatives were consumer owned, which was more than any other single category. By contrast, in the second survey period of 2016-2019, worker co-ops were the single most common type of cooperative, constituting 47 percent of the new co-ops. That is an extraordinary figure, given that only one percent of US co-ops formed before 2010 are worker co-ops.

This trend, nonetheless, is not surprising, as it fits well with the historical pattern of development highlighted above. Cooperatives typically emerge when peoples needs are not being met by the marketand it would be hard to argue that late-stage capitalism is meeting the needs of most workers in America. From wage stagnation and the emergence of the gig economy to retiring business owners, employee ownership has been identified as a solution to many of our socioeconomic ills.

It is also important to note that the overall growth of worker cooperatives is not at all unrelated to the growing popularity of co-ops in Black communities, Indigenous communities, and communities of color. According to the 2015 State of the Sector report by the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives and the Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI), Two-thirds of worker cooperatives in 2015 were less than 15 years old and 39 percent were less than five years old. Almost 70 percent of all employees are female, about 60 percent are non-white and [Latinxs] are the largest plurality of any race (43 percent). And that trend has continuedaccording to the 2019 State of the Sector report, The racial demographics of worker owners continue to show a majority of people of color, with a concentration of Latinx workers. Of the 450-plus worker cooperatives in the US, approximately 38 percent of the membership is Latinx. And according to UWCCs 2020 study Latinx Co-op Power, approximately three-quarters of the Latinx cooperatives incorporated between 2014 and 2019 are worker-owned.

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The jump in worker co-ops as a percentage of total cooperatives incorporated between our two survey periods was particularly notable in Colorado, a state better known for rural electric and farmer-owned cooperatives. While there are regions with much higher concentrations of worker cooperatives and more developed cooperative development ecosystems, the timing of Colorados growth in worker ownership is interesting in that it coincides with the states shift to an ecosystem approach to increasing employee ownership.

In 2012, the Rocky Mountain Employee Ownership Center (RMEOC) launched with the mission to build a more just and sustainable economy through employee ownership. RMEOC has taken a holistic, ecosystem approach to their cooperative development work. In addition to supporting cooperatives directly, they engage with policymakers, service providers, state leadership, and other stakeholders to strengthen the regions employee ownership ecosystem. The approach has paid off. There has been a recent flourishing of state level policy supporting cooperatives in Colorado including the creation of the Colorado Employee Ownership Commission and a Colorado Employee Ownership Office within the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade. The Commission was charged with educating the public on the benefits of employee ownership, establishing a network of technical support for employee ownership conversions, and generating a list of recommendations for removing barriers to the development of employee-owned businesses. The Office supports these initiatives and channels grants, loan guarantees, and technical assistance to worker cooperatives.

Around the same time, Colorados legal environment became friendlier to cooperatives as the state strove to become known as the Delaware of Cooperatives. In 2011, the state adopted a new cooperative statute that allows outside investor-members within certain parameters and is flexible enough to be used by cooperatives in many sectors. And in 2014, a new law firm launched that serves and actively promotes cooperatives and other social enterprise models.

Colorado is one small example of what is possible through an ecosystem approach to cooperative developmentit is also exemplifies a broader national trend. The ecosystem of support for worker cooperatives exploded in the last decade. Two prominent national employee ownership organizations, DAWI and Project Equity, launched in 2013 and 2014, respectively; and in 2012 The Working World, which provides non-extractive financing and technical support to worker cooperatives, added a US-focused loan fund. Additionally, several longstanding cooperative development centers and community economic development organizations added or enhanced programming on worker ownership during this time. Private foundations and municipalities such as New York City; Madison, Wisconsin; Oakland, California; and Minneapolis, Minnesota, began investing in employee ownership to create good jobs and build community wealth. And investment capital is now starting to flowa 2020 study by the Democracy Collaborative identified a dozen new or emerging investment funds focused on supporting employee ownership transitions.

Another notable finding was the effectiveness of sector-specific strategies to scale specific segments of the cooperative economy. In the early 2000s, two national organizations emerged with sector-specific approaches in retail grocery and housing. These organizations served as national leaders that worked closely with local cooperative developers to spread their model, practices, and expertise on the local level. Were now seeing the fruit of their labor.

Food Co-op Initiative (FCI) started in 2005 as Food Cooperative 500, a pilot project launched by leaders from the grocery cooperative community who wanted to test the theory that new food retail cooperatives could open more quickly and successfully if they had appropriate guidance. FCI connects food co-op organizers across the country with a suite of industry-specific resources including organizing tools and best practices, training and technical advice, peer learning opportunities, and seed capital. Since its founding, 157 new retail food cooperatives have opened in the US and nearly 100 additional communities are currently working to open new stores.

ROC USAthe ROC stands for resident-owned communitiesis another example of an organization that has successfully developed cooperatives in a specific sector: manufactured (mobile) home communities. Launched in 2008, ROC USA works in partnership with a formal network of nonprofit affiliates and has a national technical assistance team.It also provides financing through ROC USA Capital, a community development financial institution (CDFI).The technical assistance and financingalong with third-party legal counsel and engineersfacilitate the conversion of manufactured home communities to cooperative ownership. ROC USA is headquartered in New Hampshire where the model was pioneered and market-tested for more than two decades before expanding nationally.In New Hampshire and Vermont alone, approximately 39 new housing cooperatives were formed in the past decade. Today,the network represents nearly 300 co-ops and 20,000 member-owners in 21 states; in the past three years, the network has developed 20 new co-ops a year.

Cooperatives are not a panacea, but they are a time-tested strategy for improving social and economic wellbeing. Cooperatives have the potential to build community wealth, empower workers, and help small businesses thrive in an increasingly competitive world. While cooperative businesses can be challenging to launch, they are a solid long-term investment. Studies from the across the globe have shown that once established, cooperatives last longer than other forms of business and are more resilient during times of crisis. Many of the cooperatives established during earlier waves of cooperative development are still serving their members decades lateras of 2020, 76.5 percent of all agricultural cooperative were more than 50 years old, and 17.5 percent were more than 100 years of age.

As Andrew Crosson explained in a recent NPQ article on Appalachia, an ecosystem approach is required to overcome barriers to shared prosperity and to create an economy that works for all. The same argument applies to the development of strong, networked cooperatives that meet the needs of individuals and communities. Historical examples, as well as the cooperative development success stories of today, demonstrate the power of taking an ecosystem approach to building a resilient cooperative economy. Co-op development trends reflect social and economic trends; they also reflect trends in philanthropy and public investment. This begs two questions: What collective needs must we most urgently address? And what investments can we make today that will usher in the next wave of cooperative development?

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Where Are New Co-ops Emerging? The Changing Map of Co-op Development - Non Profit News - Nonprofit Quarterly

Mobile home parks are not what they used to be. Now they offer tree line landscape and amenities such as pools, spas and clubhouses with weight rooms often found in high-end communities. Date and location not specified. (Brett VA via Wikimedia Commons, St. George News)

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ST. GEORGE High-end mobile home parks with additional space for recreational vehicles may be coming to St. George in the near future.

Salt Lake City-based Mountain West Commercial Real Estate is eyeing St. George and Washington County for a potential expansion of their business model to Southern Utah, which will include manufactured homes a euphemism that once upon a time referred exclusively to a mobile home design.

Today's manufactured homes bear little resemblance to the mobile homes that were bought prior to 1976 when all manufactured homes were considered "mobile."

Now, the term mobile homes has been exchanged for manufactured homes, which also includes prefabricated homes and recreational vehicles with more than 400 square feet of living space.

In the past year, Mountain West has continued to expand and broaden its services with its latest extension in developing manufactured housing parks for mobile homes as well as recreational vehicle investment opportunities for its clients.

The advantage, industry analysts say is that high-end mobile homes usually offer a choice of floor plans and high-end interior options.

Read the full article at St. George News.

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High-end mobile home parks may become part of the St. George landscape - KSL.com

The Loft The Loft is just one of many floor plan options available to future homeowners at The Oaks of Kokomo.

A subdivision on the outskirts of the northeast side of the city is offering residents great options for home ownership, while also handling financing for future residents.

The Oaks of Kokomo, 2000 County Road N. 250 E., a manufactured subdivision, has steadily grown over the past year, bringing life and community to a location better known for its cornfields.

As the community takes shape with a mix of young families and retirees, development manager Jennifer Haasz is excited to expand into phase two, which will offer an additional 20-plus land home sites within the subdivision very quickly.

Over the past year we have become a thriving little community, and Im excited about the new opportunities for growth as we near the start of phase two, Jennifer said.

The Oaks of Kokomo is being built with the working families in mind. Homes start at $80 per square foot, with house sizes ranging from 1,000 to 2,400 square feet. The homes feature very similar construction specs as site built housing, along with northern wrapped insulation and smart home technology.

Customization is one of the core attractions at The Oaks of Kokomo. Future residents may choose from a variety of cabinet and countertop styles in the kitchen and decide whether they want a walk-in shower or soothing tub in the bathroom.

"The American Farmhouse kitchens with industrial accents throughout the rest of the home are huge right now, Jennifer said. The five bedroom, three bathroom loft floor-plan best demonstrate the latest available amenities in today's market.

Endless possibilities extend to the exterior as well. Is your new home blue with a white picket fence or tan with a landscaped front yard ready for spring flowers?

These homes also have two decks, concrete driveways, sidewalks and private mailboxes. Personal touches and options abound.

Jennifer recommends clients work directly with the team at The Oaks to professionally assist them through the entire the process. They have many years working directly with banks that specialize in this type of financing.

We are here to make the entire process much easier and flow quickly to get you into your home as quick as possible, Jennifer said.

Turnaround for home completion is relatively short, with units ready in a matter of months compared to potentially waiting up to 18 months or more for a site-built house.

Since the Kokomo workforce is at the heart and soul of the community, The Oaks of Kokomo is focused on offering the best options possible for home ownership. They work with banks specializing in manufactured homes that offer FHA loans, conventional loans, flexible terms and approvals for those with lower credit scores.

Now, more than ever, the world needs trustworthy reportingbut good journalism isnt free.Please support us by making a contribution.

Our payments for owning your land and your home are often times cheaper than the current going rate for rent, Jennifer said.

Most importantly, dont qualify yourself, she said of those who might believe themselves unable to attain a home in the community. Let us help qualify you.

One of the many benefits of The Oaks of Kokomo is location. Residents get the best of both worlds: a quiet country setting with the amenities of city life only minutes away. Indiana 931 is a quick drive down 100 North, and with it comes restaurants, fast food options, Wal-Mart and the Markland Mall.

Convenience is key when it comes to a healthy work and life balance. A home in The Oaks of Kokomo is within an easy drive to GM, Chrysler, Community Howard Regional Health and Ivy Tech, making it the perfect location for those who want to spend as much time at home with their loved ones as possible.

The location also falls within the highly sought after Northwestern School District.

Our current as well as future residents love that such a beautiful community is right here in Northwestern! There are very few homes available in Northwestern, Jennifer said.

Jennifer has made Kokomo her home over the past few years. Originally from northeast Ohio, she has owned multiple manufactured housing retail sales centers in Kentucky and Tennessee before moving into land development and housing subdivisions. After taking a short break from the industry, she joined up with business partner and investor Tupper Baker.

We both have an absolute passion to help people, she said of their friendship.

Thats what makes me proud to work for Jen and Tupper, said sales manager Mike Huskey. Their hearts are in the right place.

The Oaks of Kokomo opened sooner than expected, Jennifer said, due to a demand for housing. Because of this, much of the land is still under development, but the final product will have below ground utilities, new streets with decorative lighting, street signs and an entrance way welcoming residents and visitors.

If a Kokomo resident already owns land but wants a new home, as a retail manufactured housing dealer, Jennifer said there are many available floor plans and styles to choose from. Jennifer provides an easy turn-key, start-to-finish service, helping you get into your dream home on your own property. All someone has to do is call.

Jennifer can be reached by calling or texting 765-614-8807. Mike can also be reached at 765-210-3856. You may also email kokomohomes181@gmail.com for more information or visit theoaksofkokomo.com for pictures, virtual tours and links to social media accounts.

The experienced team at The Oaks of Kokomo is looking forward to showing you just how easy it is to own your own home and land. They look forward to meeting you.

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Paid Advertisement: Oaks of Kokomo brings home ownership options to community - Kokomo Perspective

BILOXI, Miss., Oct. 29, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --The future of housing is here with the 2022 Biloxi Manufactured Housing Show. Registration and housing are now open for this one-of-a-kind industry event taking place March 28 - 31, 2022 at the IP Casino Resort Spa in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Members of the media are encouraged to secure their complimentary media credentials to learn more about manufactured homes and their role as a quality affordable housing solution.

The historic Biloxi, Mississippi is located in the southeastern region of the country and can be found nestled on the Gulf of Mexico between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama. This city surprises visitors with year-round celebrations, extensive dining options, casinos, and more. The event's venue, IP Casino Resort Spa features exquisite water views, bustling restaurants, easy access to the main throughways, and close proximity to all the action. And most importantly, this new venue brings the exhibitors and home displays closer than ever before. Attendees will be able to easily and quickly explore between the expo hall and home display lot.

Manufactured housing professionals are encouraged to register and secure their hotel rooms today, so they can: CONNECT, LEARN, TOUR and PROGRESS in Biloxi. The following are highlights of the upcoming show:

For full details, registration and information on exhibiting or sponsoring at the manufactured housing's premier event can be found at http://www.biloxihomeshow.com.

About Biloxi Manufactured Housing ShowFormerly known as the Tunica Show, this new city and venue will be the home to over a thousand professionals, the newest home models, educational workshops, and exhibitors in the MH industry for three days. The event is being hosted by the South Central Manufactured Housing Institute (SCHMI) and managed by the industry-centric digital marketing agency ManufacturedHomes.com.

CONTACT:Kaitlyn Palatucci Phone:949-216-0521Email:[emailprotected]

SOURCE Biloxi Manufactured Housing Show

http://www.biloxihomeshow.com

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2022 Biloxi Manufactured Housing Show: Registration and Housing Now Open - PRNewswire