It’s not just a housing issue, New Hampshire

It’s a health issue, an economic issue and a moral one

BY GAIL GARCEAU AND ALISA DRUZBA

New Hampshire is in the grip of a housing crisis. Families across the state are being forced into an impossible choice: live in unsafe, overcrowded housing, or risk having no home at all. From Berlin to Keene, Nashua to North Conway, the message is the same: Our communities are becoming unaffordable, unstable and unhealthy.

This crisis is not just about the number of apartments or the price of rent. It is about whether children can grow up healthy, whether families can stay in their communities, and whether New Hampshire will live up to its values of fairness and opportunity.

The health consequences are devastating

The recently released NH Children’s Health Dashboard shows that living in an older home — built between 1940 and 1969 — is the single condition most strongly tied to poor health outcomes for children. Substandard housing ranks twelfth. The reasons are clear: Older homes are more likely to contain lead paint, mold and asbestos. There is no safe blood lead level for children, yet many are still exposed daily.

Overcrowding and lack of basic amenities add to the harm, fueling poverty, social isolation and long-term health problems.

Behind the numbers are real families

In interviews and focus groups across the state, parents and providers painted a stark picture. Families describe crumbling apartments with lead paint and no heat. Tenants fear eviction for asking landlords to fix leaks. Seasonal rentals and short-term listings have priced-out locals.

One service provider told us: “We are in a high tourist industry area. During COVID, lots of homes got bought up.” Another added: “People who can work remotely can live anywhere, and they’ve taken up a lot of housing.”

Market rents now far exceed what many families earn. Participants reported paying $1,200 to $1,500 for a two-bedroom in Berlin, Lancaster and Claremont, and $1,800 to $2,000 in Manchester, Nashua, Keene, Concord and Lebanon. As one nonprofit leader in Keene put it: “Even if housing is available, the cost is prohibitive for those who don’t qualify for assistance. The whole middle-class piece is missing.”

For too many, unsafe housing is the only option

A Rochester parent described being trapped:

“When you don’t have a lot of money, you don’t have a lot of choice. We have asbestos and lead and a lot of bad landlords. And you are just stuck.”

Unstable housing doesn’t just hurt adults; it derails kids’ futures. Without a permanent address, families lose access to services. Constant moves disrupt schooling, health care and friendships. One expert told us: “When families have to move to another town, it affects the kids’ health, academics and stress. I don’t know how they’re doing it.”

Even when families scrape together the rent, the barriers don’t end. Deposits, credit checks and utility startup costs put housing out of reach. A Claremont resident explained: “You need three times the rent, a credit check and have to pay to turn everything on.”

Homeowners are being squeezed, too

Grandparents raising grandchildren — a growing reality in New Hampshire — face new financial burdens.

Many had paid off their homes and were preparing for retirement. But caring for children brings crushing expenses.

One grandparent in North Conway shared: “My husband and I spent three years building our retirement home without a mortgage. Then we had to take in four grandchildren. With the cost of food, clothing and services for their trauma, we had to take out a mortgage, and we are up to our eyeballs in credit card debt.”

This is not sustainable

New Hampshire cannot ignore the moral and economic costs of this crisis. Children poisoned by lead or forced to change schools again and again will carry those scars for life. Families buried under debt will never achieve financial security. Communities that drive out working families will lose their workforce, their volunteers and their future.

The good news: Solutions exist

Residents and experts offered clear ideas: Require new housing developments to include affordable units, reduce waitlists for housing programs, expand vouchers, strengthen tenant protections, support kinship caregivers, enforce housing safety codes and reduce our overreliance on local property taxes.

But none of this will happen unless leaders treat the housing crisis with the urgency it demands. The time for half-measures and studies has passed. New Hampshire must act, because housing is not just about where people sleep at night. It is about whether our state remains a place where families can live, work and thrive.

Safe, affordable housing is the foundation of health, stability and opportunity. Every child deserves it. Every family needs it. And New Hampshire cannot wait any longer to deliver it.

Gail Garceau of Bedford is president, and Alisa Druzba of Concord is director of research and community impact, of the New Hampshire Children’s Health Foundation. The foundation’s Children’s Health Dashboard may be found at dashboard.nhchildrenshealthfoundation.org.