Homeward bound: NeighborWorks Southern New Hampshire carries the torch for affordable housing

Homeward bound
Home where my thought’s escapin’
Home where my music’s playin’
Home where my love lies waitin’
Silently for me.

— Paul Simon, “Homeward Bound”

When NeighborWorks invited me to be the keynote speaker for their annual breakfast March 20, I needed a title for my talk.

The second part of the title, “Housing — and lots of it — is key to NH’s future” — is obvious to anyone who has been living in New Hampshire for the past decade.

But the first part, “Homeward Bound,” came to me immediately. That Paul Simon song still resonates with people, because it underscores how we feel about our homes, that safe space where we seek solace and live so much of our lives.

When we talk about housing, we think about numbers: how many units, square footage lot sizes. Little green plastic pieces on a Monopoly Board.

But ultimately, we’re not talking about housing; we’re talking about homes. Whether we buy or rent, we shop for houses, we hunt for apartments. Wherever we end up, we call that our home.

At a press conference in Concord for the newly formed New Hampshire Housing Supply Coalition, the usual statistics came up, and we all looked at a chart showing the shrinking inventory in New Hampshire.

Susan Cole, president of the New Hampshire Association of Realtors, looked past the numbers.

“Realtors work with buyers struggling with the lack of affordable housing in New Hampshire,” Cole said. “We see the tears.

We hear the pleas for more options. We are touched by the stories told to us, by those struggling to find a home, to meet their family needs.”

I’ve owned homes in New Hampshire, Florida and Colorado, but my perspective about housing needs in New Hampshire is rooted in my upbringing. I grew up living in rented space, including eight years in a third-floor apartment on the west side of Manchester.

My mom was raising four children on her own. The rent was very reasonable, in part because the building was owned by a friend of the family. I looked up what the rent would be for that apartment now. Adjusted for inflation, it would be 50% more than what my mom was paying. We would not have been able to live there.

It’s important to remember that our housing needs change over time. After my mom remarried, we moved to a duplex in a nicer part of town. We were still renting. But we had moved up the ladder.

Last year, NeighborWorks Southern New Hampshire completed development of 249 Main Street, a 45-unit affordable housing complex in Nashua consisting of 18 one-bedroom and 27 two-bedroom units. The nonprofit, founded in 1992, has housed more than 1,600 people and has 504 apartments in its rental portfolio. (Courtesy of NeighborWorks)

We need a housing supply that provides the mix of inventory we need for everyone for every stage of their lives and all income levels. Otherwise, the age of our population will continue to become older, and the workforce we need for a vital economy will disappear.

A recent webinar hosted by NH Business Review featured a panel of experts from New Hampshire Housing, Kennebunk Savings Bank and New Hampshire Realtors.

While the webinar was underway the Senate approved Senate Bill 84, which sets maximum lot-size requirements for single-family homes, depending on the availability of municipal or community sewer and water infrastructure. The bill would generally block zoning laws that require lot sizes larger than 66,000 square feet, which is about 1.5 acres.

This is one of many bills under consideration to loosen up restrictions in the state that thwart residential development, making it difficult to produce homes at prices that are within reach to first-time homebuyers.

Housing and the economy

Brian Gottlob, director of the New Hampshire Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau, says many communities resisting new housing have high property taxes, large lots and few businesses. They fear that increased housing will bring more costs, more people, more change.

“That drives me crazy,” Gottlob said during a recent economic forecast, “because if you want a vibrant community with people that are forward-thinking and committed to their community — families with kids — those are the people that are most committed to making their communities … a good place to live.”

The housing reform bills in the Legislature this year are a step forward, but they won’t solve everything. Not everyone will agree on the solutions, but one thing is certain: Doing nothing is not an option.

One of the most popular movies in Hollywood history champions affordable housing. In “It’s a Wonderful Life,” George Bailey defends his father’s work in the Building & Loan Association, taking on the rich and powerful Mr. Potter, who has no use for approving home loans for working people.

“You know how long it takes a workin’ man to save five thousand dollars? Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you’re talking about, they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath?” Back then, that $5,000 was enough to buy a modest home. In today’s dollars, that $5,000 would be about $82,000. Anyone know where you can buy a home for $82,000?

This column was adapted from a keynote address presented at NeighborWorks Southern New Hampshire’s annual breakfast.