Regional Planners Study Affordable Housing

The trends and challenges affecting housing in New Hampshire will be studied as part of a project conducted by regional planning commissions. That study will then result in nine assessments that are expected to be used by communities to develop strategies for meeting future housing demand.

The NH Department of Business and Economic Affairs’ Office of Planning and Development and the NH Community Development Finance Authority are partnering on the survey, which is funded by an American Rescue Plan State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund grant.

Affordable housing is crucial to enabling workers to live in NH, which is experiencing low housing inventory, increased population, and rising home prices.

The year-long Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) is launching in March and begins with a community survey. Each regional planning commission will conduct a survey, and encourages residents to share what effect the housing situation has had on them; what has worked, and what needs to change. The link to each region’s survey is available at www.nharpc.org/rhna.

At the conclusion of the project, the regional planning commissions will use this survey data, along with other qualitative and quantitative data from a variety of other sources to provide resources, strategies, and recommendations to local municipalities, to assist in their efforts to ensure housing availability.

For more information on the Regional Housing Needs Assessment, visit your Regional Planning Commission at www.nharpc.org/rhna.