Access to an affordable home is a social & economic justice issue

Something as basic as a home shouldn't be hard to access. Elissa Margolin, Director of Housing Action NH, tells NHCJE what’s being done to fix the housing crisis.

As home prices continue to soar and the availability of affordable housing dwindles, many individuals and families are struggling to find a place to call home in the Granite State. For Elissa Margolin, Director of Housing Action NH, the reason New Hampshire has a housing crisis is the housing shortage, increasing demand, low supply and skyrocketing prices: 

This creates an issue of equity around access to a home: 

The rental market, in particular, is very tight. According to the NH Housing Finance Authority’s most recent Residential Rental Cost Survey, “the overall vacancy rate is at .05% — far too low to support a functional market. This means that if 10% of the state’s lower-income renters wanted to move—about 7,400 renters—they would have about 350 units from which to choose without overpaying. These renters would have about a 5% chance of finding an affordable, vacant unit.”

Practically, this means that many low-income families are either paying an unsustainable amount of their income towards housing or are forced to live in overcrowded or substandard conditions. In extreme cases, they’re pushed towards homelessness.

Supporting Legislation To End The Housing Crisis

Housing Action New Hampshire is a policy and advocacy organization focused on improving state and federal policies for preserving and developing affordable housing. Since its founding in 2009, Housing Action NH has successfully secured appropriations for the Affordable Housing Fund and InvestNH, helped pass accessory dwelling unit legislation, created the Housing Appeals Board,  created a new Medicaid benefit for supportive housing services, and increased funding for homeless services.

One of the bills Housing Action NH is working on is Senate Bill 145, which would establish a Housing Champion program that includes technical assistance and grants for municipalities who are ready to say ‘yes in my backyard’. The bill has been passed in the Senate and has received support from the business community and the municipal association. 

Another big priority is Senate Bill 231, which is a comprehensive package of funding to address the housing shortage. This includes funding for the Affordable Housing Fund, InvestNH, a new historic housing tax credit, as well as funding to address the homelessness crisis. This bill also received a lot of bipartisan support in the Senate.

Low-income Families Struggling To Use Support Available 

Even tried and true tools like Section 8 are not as effective as they should be in this market. The Housing Choice Vouchers that were designed to give tenants more mobility and choice in the market are not only difficult to access, but difficult to use. With the shortage of available homes, landlords are declining tenant applicants who want to support their rental costs with a voucher. And since New Hampshire has not passed a “source of income protection law,” landlords can legally decline to rent to voucher holders. In fact, it’s currently legal in New Hampshire to advertise a rental listing with the caveat that “Section 8 need not apply.” And although housing advocates continue to ask policy makers to address the issue, the New Hampshire legislature has rejected “source of income” bills again and again.

Equitable Zoning Is Key To Address The Housing Crisis

The quest to improve local zoning to allow for more affordable housing development is starting to gain momentum in New Hampshire. In fact, a new zoning atlas project developed by the Center for Ethics at Saint Anselm College, is due for release this month.

The New Hampshire Zoning Atlas is a collaborative project to research, catalog, digitize, and graphically display all of New Hampshire’s zoning regulations, community-by-community, district-by-district. This project has the potential to be a valuable tool for researchers, policy-makers, planners, community leaders, builders and developers, advocates, and others to understand NH’s zoning requirements:

Housing first approach to ending homelessness

For those that have faced the toughest consequences of the housing crisis, those who have experienced “houselessness” know how difficult re-housing can be. In addition, vulnerable residents, like those who are dealing with disability, mental illness, substance use, or co-occurring disorders, can find help and security with a “housing first” approach. 

New Hampshire now has a statewide Council on Housing Stability that has released a new strategic plan that calls for an increase in housing units to address homelessness. The plan notes that consistent resources, prioritized housing, housing vouchers and wrap-around services helped decrease veterans homelessness in New Hampshire and throughout the country. 

Coming together on solutions

Although some people view housing as a human rights issue and others view it an economic issue, there is growing consensus that the status quo is not sustainable. Indeed, we need to come together with solutions so that all New Hampshire residents can have a place to call home.

Elissa Margolin is the director of Housing Action NH.