I hope your fall is off to a good start! 

Last week, our monthly Housing Matters Zoom meetings returned with a discussion on how federal funds impact housing production and stabilization in New Hampshire. Thank you to all who attended, and a special thank you to Katy Easterly Martey of the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority, Jack Ruderman of New Hampshire Housing, and Robert Tourigny of NeighborWorks Southern New Hampshire, for sharing your knowledge with our attendees. 

If you would like to register for future Housing Matters Zoom meetings, you can sign up here. We typically meet on the third Friday of each month at 10:00 am. These Zoom meetings feature legislative updates, guest speakers, and opportunities for attendees to provide updates.

As the federal fiscal year comes to a close on September 30th, Congress and the President will need to agree on a budget compromise or a continuing resolution, or face a government shutdown. Housing Action NH recently released a federal policy guide to help Granite Staters better understand how federal funding impacts New Hampshire (more on that below). 

State legislative action is picking back up with drafts of new legislation and committee sessions to act on retained bills. The House and Senate filing periods for 2026 legislation are officially closed; however, it will be a few more months before we have final bill language. 

To introduce new legislation, legislators file Legislative Service Requests (LSRs) with the nonpartisan drafting attorneys at the Office of Legislative Services (OLS). They have until late November to approve the final language. OLS releases LSR titles on their website, so advocates are currently reviewing the over 1,000 proposed LSRs to determine what to expect when the session begins. 

We’ll have more analysis on the expected 2026 legislation in the coming weeks.

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

Federal Housing Program Guide

New Hampshire receives over $315 million in housing-related federal funding each year. These funds assist in the construction of new homes, provide direct rental assistance, support our emergency shelters, and more. This guide provides an overview of key programs and compares the current federal budget proposals from the House, Senate, and President using data from the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the Housing Assistance Council. 

What We’re Reading

$182,000 Household Income Needed to Afford Median Single Family Home

New Hampshire Bulletin: For average families, New Hampshire homes are more unaffordable than ever. New Hampshire’s housing market has an income gap problem. Read more. 

State Legislatures Make Bipartisan Breakthroughs on Policies That Promote Housing

Pew Charitable Trust: In 2025, state legislatures enacted unprecedented reforms to improve the availability and affordability of housing. Read more.

“This Is Progress”

Concord Monitor: A guide to the latest housing laws in New Hampshire. Read more. 

In The Committee Room

This week, the House Housing Committee acted on all retained bills for 2025. The Committee unanimously voted to recommend Interim Study on SB 84 / HB 459 (relative to minimum lot sizes), HB 65 (directing landlords to offer tenants the option of reporting rental payments to consumer reporting agencies), and HB 604 (relative to public financing programs for accessory dwelling units). The Interim Study motion allows legislators to continue working on the concept and may lead to future legislation in 2027. The Committee voted to recommend Inexpedient to Legislate on HB 465 (relative to the housing opportunity zone program) because a new bill increasing the flexibility for the 79-E provisions, which includes the Housing Opportunity Zone program, will be introduced in 2026. 

The House County and Municipal Government Committee recommended Ought to Pass on HB 348, which would allow municipalities to require proof of residency for an individual to be eligible for local assistance (including rental assistance). Housing Action NH opposes this bill, and there was bipartisan opposition to this legislation in the Committee. As anyone who has worked with individuals experiencing homelessness knows, requiring strict documentation will lead to vulnerable individuals being denied services, and denying assistance doesn’t make the need disappear. Emergency shelters, nonprofits, and other municipal services, like police, fire, and EMS, will face an increased burden. We will share more about this bill in advance of the floor vote in January. 

Upcoming Events

New Hampshire Housing’s annual Housing and Economy Conference is scheduled for October 16 from 8:00 am to 12:30 pm. You can view the Conference agenda and register to attend here.