In the heart of Maine winter—snow falling, temperatures dipping into single digits—residents of Cedar Falls Mobile Home Park bundled up and went door to door, organizing to buy and preserve their community.

The 79-acre park had just gone up for sale, and many older adults who had lived there for decades were especially worried. Not owning the land beneath their homes, they had seen what happened when out-of-state investors purchased local mobile
home parks: steep lot-rent hikes and minimal park maintenance. “We knew this place could become unrecognizable,” one resident said.

With help from the Cooperative Development Institute, Cedar Falls residents formed the Cedar Falls Residents Cooperative. Genesis then helped coordinate an $8.8 million financing package put together with public and community financing and a grant to the cooperative.

Many pieces had to come together, but in February it happened: the cooperative outbid an outside buyer and residents celebrated becoming new owners. They preserved nearly 130 affordable homes and secured additional vacant-lot land as part of their community.
The Cedar Falls Residents Cooperative is partnering now with Bangor Housing to expand its affordable homeownership opportunities, potentially creating a way for some of Bangor Housing’s residents to become homeowners.

Cedar Falls residents say their purchase was about protecting their homes, their independence, and their community. As one said, “When you get a letter in the mail that says your home is being sold, it motivates you to get out and do something.”