10/17/25: Housing Matters Newsletter

Welcome to the Housing Matters Newsletter!

This week, we are going to take a deep dive into the newly released annual statewide survey of voter attitudes on affordable housing from the Initiative for Housing Policy and Practice at Saint Anselm College.

The data continues to show overwhelming support for more affordable housing across all demographics. At a time when voters don’t agree on much, they agree on the need for more housing options. More on the poll below.

Housing Action NH is partnering with the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation to better understand the state’s housing advocacy landscape. We’re inviting organizations, coalitions, and individuals engaged in housing, homelessness, and related issues to share their insights through a short survey. The goal is to highlight strengths, identify where additional coordination could help, and hear directly from advocates and providers. Findings will help shape future conversations about how to strengthen housing advocacy in New Hampshire and guide philanthropic partners toward the areas of greatest impact. Take the survey here. We plan to close the survey next Friday (10/24).

If you were forwarded this newsletter and would like to receive future updates, you can sign up here.

Best,

Nick Taylor

Executive Director

Housing Action NH

nick@housingactionnh.org

Land Use Change Webinar

Dive into the details of what this year’s legislative changes mean for planning, zoning, and building code statutes with the Department of Business and Economic Affairs.

Date: Tuesday, October 21

Time: Noon to 1 pm

NH Zoning Atlas Water and Sewer Data Layer

Discover how new statewide water and sewer data in the NH Zoning Atlas can transform housing and planning in New Hampshire. Join NH Business Review and the Initiative for Housing Policy and Practice for a webinar highlighting how this tool streamlines housing development, empowers local leaders, and guides economic growth. Nick Taylor, Director of Housing Action NH, will be a panelist during this discussion.

Date: Wednesday, October 29

Time: 11 am to Noon

New Poll: Voters Want More Action On Housing

A new statewide survey from the Initiative for Housing Policy and Practice at Saint Anselm College finds overwhelming agreement among Granite Staters that New Hampshire needs more affordable housing — and strong support for policy changes to make that happen.

This scientific poll found that nearly eight in ten voters (78%) say their community needs more affordable housing, up from 63% in 2020. Support is strong across demographic groups — including party, age, income, geography, and homeownership status. Not a single group disagreed with the statement that “my community needs more affordable housing to be built.”

As housing advocates, we’re familiar with the voter who supports affordable housing broadly, just not in my neighborhood. The survey attempted to capture that sentiment by asking a follow-up question to measure support for affordable housing in “my neighborhood.” 62% of voters agree that their neighborhood needs more affordable housing, which is up from 59% last year.

The widespread agreement that New Hampshire needs more affordable housing translates into support for policy changes. Granite Staters want their policymakers – at all levels of government – to keep going. 61% of respondents say that local planning and zoning regulations should change to allow for more housing, which is more than double the percentage that supported making changes in 2020. There’s also wide support for state action that encourages municipalities to remove barriers to housing development, with 61% supporting those policy changes.

Finally, the survey found broad support for specific statewide policies, including:

• 64% support for public investments to build more affordable housing in the state budget
• 59% support for towns designating where residents are allowed to build single-family homes on smaller lots
• 68% support for allowing people to convert large single-family houses into four apartments
• 68% support for allowing nonprofits and churches to build affordable housing on their property

These poll results confirm what we’re hearing from friends and family, at the sidelines of sporting events, and from our businesses: we need more housing options. It’s important that we continue to talk to policymakers about these issues and that they know the public has their back. We appreciate the progress made on proposals to allow accessory dwelling units, permit homes in office buildings and aging strip malls, and remove red tape, but we need to continue these efforts.

Key Takeaways and Talking Points:

• Granite Staters to Lawmakers…Keep Going. Nearly 8 in 10 Granite Staters say their community needs more affordable housing, and there’s broad support for continued policy changes.
• Granite Staters want housing options. Regardless of party, age, geographic region, income, or homeownership status, there was not a single demographic we tested that disagreed with the statement “my community needs more affordable housing to be built.”
• Voters reject the idea that New Hampshire should “do more to prevent housing development and keep the state the way it is” (-26) and that “our suburbs and rural towns should have mostly just single-family homes. Apartments, duplexes, and town homes belong in the cities” (-29).
• Following the 2025 legislative session, which saw legalized ADUs, multi-family housing in commercial zones, and cutting red tape, voters support more action from policymakers. There is broad support for allowing single-family homes on smaller lots (+29), converting large single-family homes into up to four apartments (+39), and allowing religious institutions to develop housing on their land (+42).
• As we approach an election year, swing voters support policies that allow for more housing options. They support allowing single-family homes on smaller lots (+22), converting large single-family homes into up to four apartments (+37), and allowing religious institutions to develop housing on their land (+44).

The Wide World of Podcasts

Housing Action NH Director Nick Taylor joined the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute alongside Sarah Wrightsman (NH Housing) and Jessica Williams (NHFPI) to discuss how New Hampshire’s housing crisis is shaping families and communities. Listen to the episode here.

Nick also joined The Stoop, a Welcoming Neighbors Network podcast, alongside Matt Mooshian (603 Forward) and Grace Murray (New Hampshire Youth Movement), to talk about last year’s legislative session and all things housing in New Hampshire. Listen to the episode here.

Upcoming Events

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be all over New Hampshire speaking at events and learning alongside many of you!

Monday, October 20: The Home For All Coalition and Mainspring are co-hosting a documentary screening and panel discussion on homelessness in New Hampshire and Maine. The event from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm at the Dance Hall in Kittery, Maine, will include a screening of BUILDING HOPE: Ending Homelessness. Nick Taylor, Director of Housing Action NH, will be a panelist during this discussion. Register here.

Friday, October 24: Join the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord for a full-day, in-person conference focused on the rising cost of living and how we can build a more affordable and equitable New Hampshire. Nick Taylor, Director of Housing Action NH, will speak on a panel about the rising cost of housing and what is being done about it. Register here.

Tuesday, October 28: The Mount Washington Valley Housing Coalition’s (MWVHC) Annual State of Housing Breakfast is at the Fairbank Lodge at Cranmore Mountain Resort in North Conway, NH, from 8:00 am to 11:00 am. This year’s theme, “Zoning Changes Aren’t Enough: What Support Structures Are Working Elsewhere That We Can Recreate in the Mount Washington Valley?”, reflects our growing understanding that land-use reform, while essential, is only one piece of the affordable housing puzzle. This event will explore the innovative support structures and policies being implemented in other communities and how they can inspire and inform local solutions in the MWV. Nick Taylor, Director of Housing Action NH, will speak on recent legislative action. Register here.

Thursday, November 6: The 8th Annual Greater Seacoast Housing Summit, hosted in partnership by the Workforce Housing Coalition of the Greater Seacoast and the Seacoast Chamber Alliance, brings together business, municipal, and nonprofit leaders to explore this year’s theme: Employer-Sponsored Housing and the Business Community’s Role in Advancing Housing Solutions. Keynote speaker Phil Sletten, Research Director at the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute, will examine the relationship between housing and the economy in New Hampshire and the Greater Seacoast region through data—highlighting trends in migration, home prices, cost burden, and commuting. Following the keynote, a panel of regional leaders will discuss innovative approaches and local examples of employer engagement in housing solutions. Register here.