Midwest Affordable Housing Provider Joins National Network Northcountry Cooperative Foundation will help owners of manufactured homes buy and operate their communities.

Minneapolis, MN (May 8, 2008) — Northcountry Cooperative Foundation (NCF) today announced it has been named one of ten Certified Technical Assistance Providers (CTAP) to join the new national affordable housing network, ROC USA™ Network, and that it has been awarded a concurrent $50,000 implementation grant from The Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED).

ROC USA, headquartered in Concord, NH, has a mission of preserving affordable housing by making resident ownership of manufactured home communities viable nationwide. ROC USA was officially launched May 6, 2008, in Raymond, NH, with core financial investments exceeding $8 million from the Ford Foundation, Fannie Mae, CFED, NCB Capital Impact, and the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund.

CFED’s Innovations in Manufactured Homes (I’M HOME) initiative provided an implementation
grant of $50,000 to help cover the start-up costs of Northcountry Cooperative Foundation joining ROC USA Network, including staffing, program development, and training.

As a member of the ROC USA Network, Northcountry Cooperative Foundation will deliver pre- and post-purchase technical assistance, training and assistance with securing financing to help homeowners in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Wisconsin buy their communities and secure their economic futures through resident ownership. There are an estimated 50,000 manufactured home communities in the US and nearly 1,000 communities across the state of Minnesota.

“Resident ownership of manufactured home communities is a great thing. It preserves affordable
housing and it empowers the homeowners in these communities,” said Warren Kramer, NCF’s
Director of Housing Development. “Being involved with ROC USA will help our organization assist
many more homeowners in the future.”

Resident ownership occurs when owners of manufactured (or “mobile”) homes form a cooperative to purchase their community (or “park”) when it becomes available for sale. Without resident ownership,

homeowners risk eviction when a community is sold to a new owner who may convert the land to
other uses, or impose higher land rents over which the homeowners have no control. “We are excited about our partnership with Northcountry Cooperative Foundation,” said Paul Bradley, founding president of ROC USA. “They share with us a deep commitment to preserving this important source of affordable housing for the 3.5 million homeowners in America -- working families and retirees – who live in manufactured home communities. Resident ownership has been demonstrated to align ownership interests, preserve affordable communities, and reduce the economic insecurity these homeowners face,” he said.

Northcountry Cooperative Foundation’s manufactured home community conversion program will
continue to provide funding, support and education to homeowners in future resident-owned
communities. NCF has successfully converted the only three resident-owned communities in the state of Minnesota.

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Northcountry Cooperative Foundation (NCF) is a non-profit entity formed in 2000 by the Northcountry
Cooperative Development Fund, a community development financial institution, which has thirty years of
experience helping people of modest means improve their lives through collaborative action. NCF’s mission is:
‘Investing in economic democracy through cooperative enterprise.’ The primary focus of NCF’s cooperative
housing development work is its Manufactured Home Community Conversion program. This initiative currently
accounts for the vast majority of its housing program activity and plays a vital role in its strategic plan. Within
its conversion program, staff provide training and technical assistance for housing and manufactured home park
cooperatives. NCF has converted the only three manufactured home communities in the state of Minnesota into
resident ownership. www.ncdf.coop

ROC USA™ is a social enterprise that offers training, networking, and financing to help owners of
manufactured homes gain security through ownership of their communities. We work through two wholly-
owned subsidiaries: ROC USA™ Network member organizations – non-profit Certified Technical Assistance
Providers – who provide the pre- and post-purchase training and technical assistance that helps homeowners buy
and sustain their community; and ROC USA™ Capital that makes community purchase loans that provide a
low-cost way for all homeowners within a community to become a member and voter in their member-
controlled corporation or cooperative. www.rocusa.org

The Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) expands economic opportunity by helping Americans
start and grow businesses, go to college, own a home, and save for their children’s and own economic futures.
CFED identifies promising ideas, tests and refines them in communities to find out what works, craft policies
and products to help good ideas reach scale, and develop partnerships to promote lasting change. CFED brings
together community practice, public policy and private markets in new and effective ways to achieve greater
economic impact. Through its Innovations in Manufactured Homes (I'M HOME) initiative, CFED has
awarded nearly $3.5 million in grants since 2005. Much of this grant support has been dedicated to building the
capacity of the local affordable housing organizations that will form the backbone of the ROC USA Network of
technical assistance providers. www.cfed.org
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In March 2008, after 16 years with Northcountry Cooperative Development Fund; Margaret Lund steps down as Executive Director.