Manufactured‑housing leaders urge rethinking HUD‑coded homes as mainstream affordable housing

Drew McCall, HUD chief of staff, opened a panel at the Innovative Housing Showcase and framed the discussion around what is working and what barriers still block factory‑built housing. Dr. Leslie Gu, CEO of the Manufactured Housing Institute, said the HUD code is the federal standard for factory‑built homes and described the HUD label as a quality marker: "A manufactured home is the only home that's factory built and it's built to the construction standards that are administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. So I always say it's our federal seal of approval."

Gu said younger, entry‑level buyers are often receptive to factory‑built homes but that local zoning and lingering stigma limit where HUD‑code homes can be sited. She emphasized a long partnership with HUD, saying the industry has evolved: "we're not your grandma's trailer, right?" Gu also pointed to a recent change she said will help placement: "the chassis removal language has been approved by Congress," which she said allows designs that better fit local rules. She urged HUD outreach and updated local practices to translate federal standards into more local acceptance.