BIA to host workforce housing forum

Event will look at ‘New Hampshire’s Housing Crisis and the Economy’

September 22, 2021

NH Business Review Staff,

The Business & Industry Association will be holding a forum on Oct. 6 that will probe various aspects of the state’s housing crisis.

The “2021 Forum on Workforce Housing: New Hampshire’s Housing Crisis and the Economy” is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 6 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Downtown Hotel.

“BIA members, including chambers of commerce, across the state put the housing crisis among the most pressing issues in New Hampshire,” said David Juvet, BIA’s interim president. “The difficulty in securing workers for open positions is directly tied to the lack of adequate housing options in the state for working people. The lack of housing is restraining economic development in New Hampshire.”

The forum will include a panel that will discuss the impact of housing on hiring; how cost and availability of housing affects working professionals’ decisions on where to live; and how communities are planning for their future housing needs. The panel will discuss practical options for how employers, housing advocates and community planners can increase the availability of workforce housing in their communities. Panelists include:

David Duncan, vice president, facilities management, Dartmouth Hitchcock
Bill Weidacher, New Hampshire Association of Realtors
Greg Michael, chair, New Hampshire Housing Appeals Board
Rob Dapice, managing director, management & development, New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority

Event partners include Housing Action NH, the New Hampshire Association of Realtors, New Hampshire Automobile Dealers Association, New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association, Vital Communities and the Workforce Housing Coalition of the Greater Seacoast.

Cost to attend is $40 for BIA and BIA Capitol Connect members, members of partnering organizations and regional housing coalitions. Cost for the general public is $55. For more, click here.

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