Vermont is awarding $12.6 million to improve water systems in 36 manufactured housing communities as part of its Healthy Homes Initiative.
The money, according to Gov. Phil Scott’s announcement, will go toward repairing and replacing water and sewer systems, and toward assessing what other infrastructure work is needed at communities of manufactured homes, which are commonly known as mobile homes.
“Through this round of funding, an estimated 3,975 residents — including 1,100 seniors and 830 children — will be able to more reliably access safe drinking water, and will be served by improved wastewater, stormwater, and drainage systems, protecting both them and the environment,” Gov. Phil Scott said in announcing the awards this week.
The help is badly needed, according to Dave Sawyer, who works in operations at Weston’s Mobile Home Cooperative in Berlin.
Weston’s will receive $1,325,000 toward repair and replacement of its water systems, work that Sawyer said has been needed for years.
Weston’s was once privately owned, but residents gained ownership of the park in 2017. It has battled problems with improperly installed water lines and wells every year, according to Sawyer.
“When this money came out, we knew we needed to get our system upgraded to supply the middle- to low-income housing,” Sawyer said.
The Healthy Homes Initiative is run through the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, tapping a total of $24.75 million available through the American Rescue Plan Act.
Funding is being directed through three avenues to improve water systems at manufactured housing communities, according to Megan Cousino, environmental program manager at the Department of Environmental Conservation.
The $12.6 million will be used not only to repair or replace water systems, but will pay for studies of existing water systems, and what’s needed to bring them up to modern standards. It will also help pay for permits so construction can begin, according to Cousino.
About a third of the projects will involve studying what’s needed to improve the water and sewer systems, while the rest will focus on technical assistance, permitting and construction.
Manufactured housing communities are disproportionately affected by environmental concerns in the state, according to the Agency of Natural Resources.
In 2011, 40% of the people affected by the devastating Tropical Storm Irene were residents in manufactured housing communities, while only 8% of the state’s total population lives in these communities, according to REJOICE, the Vermont Rural Environmental Justice Opportunities Informed by Community Expertise.
The Healthy Homes Initiative is based on the understanding that improving the water, sewer and drainage systems will not only help the residents of these communities, but improve the nearby environment.
“If somebody is properly disposing of their wastewater, (the improvements will mean) that means it’s going into the environment in a way that’s better for it and also keeps humans away from where that waste might end up,” Cousino said.
Thirty-nine manufactured housing communities applied for funding through the Healthy Homes Initiative last summer for about 90 projects involving repairs, upgrades or replacements of water, sewer and drainage systems, according to Cousino.
The initiative was able to award money to 36 communities, but leaders of the program are already thinking ahead to future improvements.
Cousino hopes that any manufactured housing community that did not apply this year, or any who want to continue their improvements from this round of funding, will apply for the second round of funding from the $24.75 million. The agency hopes to open those applications in late spring.
Sawyer said the money awarded to Weston’s Mobile Home Cooperative will not only improve the water systems, but will also ensure financial stability for many residents in the member-owned cooperative.
If the cooperative had to take on the repairs and replacements itself, those costs could significantly affect the price of living there.
“The rents would become at a place where people couldn’t afford to live here, if we had to pay for this system,” Sawyer said.
A complete list of the Healthy Homes Initiative awards can be found here.
