STATE

Affordable Housing Fund. The final biennial budget for state fiscal years 2022-23 included $35 million for New Hampshire’s Affordable Housing Fund. This budget’s appropriation represents the largest state expenditure to the Fund since it was created in 1988. Housing Action NH is grateful to the advocates and policy makers who helped steward this important affordable housing budget priority. The Affordable Housing Fund:

  • Supports the creation of multi-family housing developments that may not have other resources, such as supportive housing for individuals with special needs;
  • Allows NH Housing to support local housing needs more effectively and to meet important public goals;
  • Provides flexibility to developers since AHF financing has fewer regulatory restrictions than most federal funding; and
  • Enables housing developers to significantly leverage their total project financing.
     

Supportive Housing Medicaid Benefit. The NH Department of Health and Human Services has submitted the supportive housing services Medicaid benefit State Plan Amendment to the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for consideration. This milestone is the result of years of data collection, education and advocacy from a critical group of local, state and national partners. Housing Action NH will begin work on provider readiness to help foster the expansion of supportive housing services in the Granite State. 
 

Community Revitalization Tax Relief for Affordable Housing. Governor Sununu signed Representative Casey Conley’s bill, HB 154, into law, effectively expanding the RSA 79-e statute to include affordable housing development. It now allows developers to access tax relief provisions if one-third of the housing units are set aside as affordable. The bill also extends the maximum period of this relief from 9 to 10 years. 
 

Council on Housing Stability Strategic Plan. The newly established Council on Housing Stability released its 3-year strategic plan to promote housing stability and tackle homelessness for residents of the Granite State. The plan, informed by input from 4 working groups, outlines actionable next steps and mechanisms for deploying resources with a focus on two significant goals: address housing needs with an increase of 13,500 units of housing by 2024 and make homelessness rare, brief and one-time in New Hampshire.


Call for ARP Funding to Address Homelessness and Housing Production. Housing and homeless services advocates are calling on Governor Sununu and the Joint Fiscal Committee to help address homeless services and housing production needs through the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, part of the funding sent to States, Counties and some Municipalities as part of the American Rescue Plan. The interim final rule from US Treasury highlights that these resources are available to address affordable housing production and homeless services. Housing advocates are also urging Treasury to expand the use of resources for development outside of Qualified Census Tracks. 

FEDERAL

Federal Budget. Following the budget proposal from the Biden administration, the House Appropriations Committee released its fiscal year (FY) 2022 draft spending bill, which would provide a $6.8 billion increase to HUD’s budget from FY21. If enacted, the House proposal would provide substantial federal investments in affordable homes . Overall, the House spending bill would fund HUD at $56.5 billion, an increase of $6.8 billion above FY21 and $314 million below the president’s 2022 budget request. For details, see this  updated budget chart from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. 


Eviction Moratorium. The CDC Director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, has signed an extension to the moratorium on evictions to stop the spread of Covid-19 until July 31, 2021. The Biden administration noted that the extension is for “one final month.” Additionally, in a 5-4 decision, the US Supreme Court allowed for the national moratorium to stand. 

DATA

NH Housing 2021 Residential Rental Costs Survey. NH Housing’s most recent report on residential rental costs shares data substantiating a tight and expensive rental market around the state. With a statewide vacancy rate now below 1%, Granite Staters can expect affordability challenges until production needs are addressed. Statewide, the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment is just under $1,500, a 6% increase from last year and a 24% increase in the last five years. “The inventory of homes has been so tight, and the demand has remained so strong, that the pricing on homes that are available has increased, and frankly the competition for them is intense — as intense, I think, as almost anybody can remember,” NHFFA’s executive director Dean Christon told NHPR.


Out of Reach 2021. The National Low Income Housing Coalition released its national 2021 Out of Reach Report analyzing rental costs around the country. New Hampshire now has a housing wage – the hourly wage required to afford a typical 2 bedroom apartment – at $24.77 per hour. New Hampshire also ranks as the 13th most expensive housing wage state in the nation.

RECENT PRESS

NHPR – NH Housing Council’s Two Big Goals: More Affordable Housing, Brief Experiences with Homelessness

“You need resources, a friendly policy landscape, and cultural acceptance and commitment to actually doing something about this.” -Elissa Margolin, Housing Action NH Executive Director and Council on Housing Stability Member

Laconia Daily Sun – Workforce housing will help grow the economy

“It’s not anything that will happen quickly, but state and federal agencies are investing more money in housing production…I definitely feel like the tide is turning.” – Carmen Lorentz, executive director of Lakes Region Community Developers and HANH Governing Council member

NH Business Review – State aims to set up $3 million relief program for homeowners

“The New Hampshire Homeowner Assistance Program will mitigate financial hardships suffered by New Hampshire residents associated with the coronavirus pandemic by providing funds to eligible entities.” -Taylor Caswell, the director of the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery