2007 MHOAA National Convention


On behalf of All Parks Alliance for Change, we thank you for attending the 2007 National Convention of the Manufactured Home Owners Association of America on September 14-16, 2007. It was our pleasure to play host and we are grateful that so many people went to the time and trouble to not only attend but to contribute so much to the event. The theme for the convention was "Build A Vision. Build A Base. Build A Movement." It was our intention for this event that it provide a first step in crafting a national homeowner vision and establishing priorities for base building and movement building. We are off to a great start!

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MHOAA board of directors - Charlie Gallagher, president, addresses


By all accounts, this was the best MHOAA convention ever! There were nearly 70 people, mostly residents, from about 20 states. There was a wide-ranging set of speakers and panels that all drew strong attendance and featured 31 presenters, again mostly residents. Everyone had a chance to pick up new information and form new relationships. Just as importantly, we left with a set of identified goals and actions, as well as the following strategic vision:

  • Home owners set the agenda on issues that affect them.
  • State HOAs have the resources to be effective.
  • Park prejudice eliminated as a set of structural and institutional biases.
  • No stigma associated with manufactured home living.
  • Resident ownership of the land.
  • Fair rent for affordable housing.

Some of the action steps identified to act on this vision during the next year, included:

  • Producing coverage of the manufactured home owners’ plight during the presidential campaign.
  • Setting up a communication network for MHOAA and member organizations.
  • Making active contact with all state HOAs.
  • Hiring a MHOAA grant writer and providing grant writing assistance.
  • Implementing the “APAC model” (adequate resources, paid staff, strong organizing, etc.) in three additional states.
  • Proposing or supporting federal public policy change.
  • Increasing racial and other diversity within MHOAA and at next year’s national convention.
  • Developing a system for generating 30 or more phone calls whenever the media uses the “T” word.
  • State HOAs encouraging at least three more nonprofits to provide technical assistance for ROCs.

Ultimately, this vision and these goals are only as meaningful as our follow through. It is important to ensure prompt, regular and consistent follow up to take advantage of this enthusiasm and momentum. Enclosed you will find information that should be of assistance in following up – or catching up, for those of you unable to attend – with various people and organizations. We have put together the contact information for all attendees, all other materials generated for and from the convention, and typed up the notes from the sessions.

Some of the follow up steps we could all take together include:

  • Dedicating web space to national home owner association work, including details and updates on the strategic plan’s vision, strategy, goals, and actions.
  • Establishing regular communication systems for MHOAA and member organizations, including newsletters, conference calls, list serves, bulletin boards, blogs, chat rooms, etc.
  • Providing oversight through the MHOAA board of directors, which includes establishing regular monthly meetings, and identifying concrete steps each month to advance the strategic plan.
  • Engaging a broad range of home owners in implementing the strategic plan by identifying individual commitments, conducting follow up, and providing regular updates.
  • Conducting active outreach to involve all state HOAs in the ongoing development and implementation of the strategic plan.
  • Identifying capacity building needs and resources for MHOAA and member organizations, as well as directly meeting some of those needs through training, advise, support, etc.

APAC is currently in the process of completing an organizing manual and training curriculum; covering topics such as establishing a shared vision, building a constituent base, developing leadership, forming homeowner associations, formulating strategies and tactics, developing messaging strategies, and advancing policy change. We anticipate releasing this book both online and in print in November 2007.

Thank-you again for attending the 2007 MHOAA national convention in Minnesota! We look forward to our continued work together for Mobile Justice!

[DISCLAIMER: The notes, which are available for download below, are simply what happened to be written down by a leader in any given session and are necessarily incomplete. We have included the speaker or panelists names for each session, please contact them for more complete information if you are interested in "de-coding" any particular subject. The convention book is available for download here.

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Attorney Breakout - 2007, MHOAA.doc22.5 KB
Convention Evaluation - 2007, MHOAA.doc41 KB
Conversation on Leadership - 2007, MHOAA.doc31 KB
Discussion Table Topics - 2007, MHOAA.doc21 KB
Leadership Breakout, Community Organizing - 2007, MHOAA.doc30.5 KB
Leadership Breakout, Leadership Development - 2007, MHOAA.doc24.5 KB
Leadership Breakout, State HOA - 2007, MHOAA.doc27 KB
Practitioner Breakout - 2007, MHOAA.doc32.5 KB
Strategic Planning Session - 2007, MHOAA.doc37 KB