HOUSING

Over the years, SNHPC has conducted several housing related projects including studies of affordability and current home costs, tabulations of existing stock, and guideline preparation for open space developments, among others. Below is a selection of SNHPC's larger and more recent housing related projects.

Housing Needs Assessment
The Housing Needs Assessment, per State Statute, is updated by SNHPC every five years. The Commission approved the most recent update in July of 2010. The assessment analyzes the region's housing supply, demand, and affordability; presents mechanisms for promoting affordable housing creation; and allocates the region's fair share distribution of workforce housing.

A Handbook on Open Space Development Through Residential Clustering
The Handbook on Open Space Development was created in 2001 through a Target Block Grant from the NH Office of Energy and Planning. The primary goal of open space subdivision is to preserve and protect tracts of undeveloped land in order to help maintain the character of a community. This handbook outlines the basic methodology for creating open space development and provides many examples from within New Hampshire. This handbook is intended to be useful for both planning board members and developers.

HOUSING RESOURCES
What is Workforce Housing?[1]
“Workforce housing” means housing which is intended for sale and which is affordable to a household with an income of no more than 100 percent of the median income for a 4-person household for the metropolitan area or county in which the housing is located as published annually by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. “Workforce housing” also means rental housing, which is affordable to a household with an income of no more than 60 percent of the median income for a 3-person household for the metropolitan area or county in which the housing is located as published annually by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority[2]
The New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority (NHHFA) is a Statewide Housing Resource. NHHFA promotes finances and supports affordable housing opportunities and related services for New Hampshire families and individuals, and serves as the primary source for housing data.

Inclusionary Zoning Implementation Program[3]
The Inclusionary Zoning Implementation Program (IZIP) was a funding program offered to municipalities through NHHFA. The program provided funds to towns to obtain techincal assistance to prepare Inclusionary Zoning Ordinances with the goal of having ordinances adopted by local legislative bodies in 2008 and 2009. Through IZIP, NH Housing awarded ten grants of up to $9000 each and no matching funds were required. Rindge was awarded $6,000, and Hampton Falls was awarded a $7,000 grant during the first round of grant applications. The following towns were awarded full grants in the second round of funding: Atkinson, Bedford, Brookline, East Kingston, Deerfield, Durham, Rye, and Wolfboro.

NeighborWorks Greater Manchester[4]
NeighborWorks® Greater Manchester is a non-profit organization dedicated to the improvement of the lives of individuals and families living in the Greater Manchester region by providing access to quality housing services, revitalizing neighborhoods and supporting opportunities for personal empowerment. NeighborWorks® Greater Manchester has helped thousands of people break the cycle of poverty and improve their financial stability through either home ownership or providing quality affordable rental housing. NeighborWorks® Greater Manchester helps families realize a stable housing cost so they may build economic self-sufficiency.

New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning (OEP) Housing and Conservation Planning Program[5]
The HCPP is a new and voluntary grant program offered to municipalities through the Office of Energy and Planning (OEP).  The HCPP will provide grant funds to municipalities to obtain technical assistance related to planning for future housing growth needs, including the need for affordable and workforce housing, while preserving quality of life, using land efficiently, and identifying key natural and historic areas to conserve.  Through the HCPP, the OEP will award $400,000 in grants during 2008 and 2009.  The first round of applications for this program occurred in Spring 2008.

[1]
RSA 674:58, 2008, 299:2, eff. Jan. 1, 2010