Council on Housing Stability Releases 2021 Annual Report on Efforts to Address Housing and Homelessness Challenges in New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Council on Housing Stability submitted its 2021 Annual Report to Governor Chris Sununu to provide an update on statewide progress to address housing stability. The Annual Report includes a review of the Council’s recently released three-year Strategic Plan, including goals, objectives, implementation activities, and progress to-date. The 2021 Annual Report and Strategic Plan can be accessed on the Council’s website: www.nhchs.org.

In less than six months since the Strategic Plan was released, the Council has made significant progress addressing housing and homelessness challenges across the Granite State. The 2021 Annual Report highlights include:

  • Distribution of $57 million through the NH Emergency Rental Assistance Program to support nearly 8,000 households around the state;
  • Focus on statewide efforts to increase housing production through outreach on available funding sources and the deployment of resources including American Rescue Plan HOME block grants and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits;
  • Establishment of a bi-partisan, bi-cameral Housing Caucus to engage and educate policymakers, as well as support policy advancements, on issues related to housing and homelessness;
  • Secured $9 million in American Rescue Plan funding from the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery to advance best practices and incentives for shelter providers to find stable housing for those experiencing homelessness; and
  • Awarded more than $3.4 million in federal grants by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program to fund innovative programs and services focused on ending youth homelessness in New Hampshire.

Additional funding has been provided through the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery to support: new resources for local community planning; the advancement of comprehensive regional housing needs assessments that will help guide communities in addressing housing challenges and opportunities; and a range of operational and programmatic activities. The Council will continue to coordinate with the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery to propose new opportunities for funding that supports the advancement of the goals, objectives, and actions recommended in the Council’s Strategic Plan.

Katherine Easterly Martey, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority and Council co-leads shared, “we are encouraged by the significant progress being made to advance the strategic plan recommendations and the level of collaboration we’ve seen across the state to address the housing challenges.”

Two key principles that continue to guide the Council’s work are ensuring planning and implementation is person-centered and informed by lived experience. To that end, the Council’s Annual Report emphasizes the importance of learning from those residents who have experienced housing instability to ensure their voices are prioritized. The report also shares the Council’s focus on collecting and aligning data to inform progress toward Strategic Plan goals, objectives, and actions.

Governor Christopher Sununu established the New Hampshire Council on Housing Stability with Executive Order 2020-22 on November 18, 2020. The Council brings together a broad base of diverse stakeholders from across the state. It is co-led by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Business and Economic Affairs, and the Community Development Finance Authority.

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Contact: Melissa Latham, CDFA. mlatham@nhcdfa.org / (603) 717-9107