Arlington, Va., Oct. 17, 2005 – The National Modular Housing Council (NMHC) and the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) have teamed up to launch a new initiative to help rebuild homes in the hurricane-devastated areas of the Gulf Coast. “The Gulf Coast Housing Initiative: Factory Building the American Dream” will focus on demonstrating how both modular and manufactured homes can play a vital role in rebuilding permanent homes for the thousands of people displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

“With estimates of over a quarter million homes destroyed or made uninhabitable by recent hurricanes, the nation faces an unprecedented challenge to fill the housing needs of the Gulf Coast region,” MHI President Chris Stinebert stated. “This effort will require building homes in a timely manner, while keeping prices affordable in the face of increasing demand for both building materials and skilled labor.”

“The Gulf Coast Housing Initiative: Factory Building the American Dream’ is the factory-built housing industry’s commitment to rebuilding the dream of homeownership for those in hurricane-devastated areas,” stated Thayer Long, executive director of the National Modular Housing Council. “Recognizing the importance of home to the thousands left homeless by the hurricanes, this ongoing initiative will focus on rebuilding homes, renewing communities, and revitalizing the entire Gulf Coast region using state-of-the-art modular and manufactured home building technologies.”

The first effort of the initiative will be a special one-day conference in Hattiesburg, Miss. on Nov. 17 where builder/developers, retailers, non-profit organizations, public officials and industry manufacturers will explore the important role modular and manufactured homes can play in providing permanent housing in a timely, efficient and cost-effective manner. Along with MHI and NMHC, the conference is cosponsored by the Mississippi Manufactured Housing Association, Freddie Mac, NeighborWorks America and the CFED (Corporation for Enterprise Development). This conference will highlight the many home options available from the modular and manufactured housing industries and profile successful development projects using both manufactured and modular homes.

Additional conferences and programs are being developed for the respective areas affected by the recent hurricanes. Meetings with public officials and groups directly involved in rebuilding the Gulf Coast region will also be held as part of this initiative.

Today’s modular and manufactured homes offer a viable solution to the housing challenge facing the Gulf Coast region…by providing quality homes with all the comforts and amenities that people want at a price that is still affordable. Built to be architecturally compatible with most any residential neighborhood, today’s modular and manufactured homes are built in quality-controlled factories with a reliable, local workforce that produces homes on time and on budget.

A special Web site on the initiative will become active soon.