Housing

Thoughts on the Trailer

The trailer is the vilified and estranged cousin of the housing world. It's all but banned in many communities, for its perceived ugliness as well as perceptions of its tenants. […]

The trailer is the vilified and estranged cousin of the housing world. It's all but banned in many communities, for its perceived ugliness as well as perceptions of its tenants. Its ugliness stems from its plainness—though the manufactured home industry likes to show off all the variety and souped up style it has brought forth, the plain rectangular, flat-roofed trailer remains what's truly affordable for many rural Americans.

It should also be said that a lot of trailer dwellers are very attached to their modest homes. Trailers don't look like much on the outside, but people personalize their insides just like any other house type. When it's time to upgrade or the old trailer has shown its age, trailer owners don't necessarily have the financial means to go for a ranch house or even a bungalow. Instead, they're thinking about a move from a single-wide to a double-wide. Or maybe just another single-wide with a better layout that allows family members to have just a little more privacy.

Some people who spend their whole childhoods in a trailer have an attachment to living in one that can best be explained this way:

It isn't luxury, but it's absolutely home. Compare that to the experience of many people who grew up in McMansions, or even expansive old farmhouses or two-story gems in town on Elm or Maple Street. A lot of us have little or no attachment to the houses we grew up in, despite their supposed grace and beauty.

Out here in the country, the trailer is almost as common as stick-built homes. (And heck, most houses that appear to be stick-built are actually factory-built.) But there are still lots of counties that restrict where manufactured homes can be located. It got to the point a while back that the state of Virginia had to put something in its code to make sure trailers were allowed at least in areas zoned for agriculture. No doubt other states had to do the same.

Like 'em or not, trailers have an assured place in the American housing landscape. They're affordable, all right, and despite many flaws, they are home sweet home.

[Editor's Note: The world of manufactured housing is rapidly changing thanks to the efforts of organizations like  ROC USA, NextStep, CFED, and the Manufactured Homeowners Association of America. More on this in an upcoming issue of Shelterforce.]

(Photo of single-wide with portico by Flickr user taberandrew, CC-BY.)

  • In a city square, perhaps a park, four workers in white protective jumpsuits and wearing masks lift a tent into the back of a garbage truck, while three others look on. Nearby are other tents and jumbled personal belongings, blankets, and clothes. In the foreground, a throw pillow printed with the words "But first, coffee" lies in the dirt.

    Criminalizing Homelessness Doesn’t Work, Study Finds

    July 3, 2025

    The analysis shows that these laws, including bans on sleeping outside, don't reduce homelessness. Why are they on the rise?

  • A woman with short, red hair and glasses speaks in front of a podium.

    Researchers are Using AI to Get a Clearer Picture of Housing in the U.S.

    July 2, 2025

    Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.

  • Two very similar apartment buildings side by side fill the frame, with a strip of blue sky above. The one on the left has been renovated and painted a putty color, and looks fresh and clean. The one on the right looks old and dirty and has missing windows and broken masonry.

    What Happens if Trump Kills Section 8?

    June 30, 2025

    The Trump administration wants to nearly halve funding for federal rental assistance and make the states figure out how to distribute what’s left. Tenants, landlords, and housing providers say the fallout would be catastrophic, spiking homelessness and destabilizing communities.