New England Resident Owned Communities (NEROC) Program
The Cooperative Housing Specialist works within the New England Resident Owned Communities (NEROC) program of CDI.
NEROC supports manufactured-home communities that are owned and governed by their residents as cooperative businesses known as ROCs (resident owned communities). When parks go up for sale NEROC helps the residents purchase them, and thereafter advises and trains residents to operate the business democratically. As a result, residents keep their housing affordable and secure, have a say in decisions, and set the direction for their communities.
The focus of the work is on guiding, training, and assisting ROCs in Vermont in the ongoing management and governance of their cooperatives. This entails helping leaders who serve on the cooperatives’ boards understand their roles and responsibilities in order to more effectively function as resident-owners of a complex business. We also help the co-op leaders and members foster a sense of empowerment and community spirit. The work is extremely varied.
