State and federal legislative update

Box City: building a community
Representing AIA New Hampshire, these four gentlemen work together on a regular basis to bring educational outreach programs to the state’s elementary, middle and high schools through the “Learning by Design” programs, including “Box City.” These programs teach children about architectural design, city/planning and people processes, all of which influence how our cities work. Through their activities, students learn about the challenges that face our cities: preservation, new technology, growth, safety, and planning for the future. View photos.

Speaker:            Bruce Hamilton, AIA, NCARB, Bruce Ronayne Hamilton Architects Inc.
Moderators:        Douglas C. Bencks, AIA, University of New Hampshire
                         Robert J. Garand, Dennis Mires, P.A., The Architects
                         Scott Vlasak, AIA, Bruce Ronayne Hamilton Architects Inc.

Statewide economic update: Russ Thibeault, president, Applied Economic Research

Keynote address: "Your grandmother was right: It is better together"
Social capital is a term that refers to the value of citizens’ participation in community life and their relationships with one another. As financial capital is essential to the success of a company and our national economy, social capital is closely linked to the health of our communities and our democracy.

Communities with higher degrees of social capital foster trust, reciprocity as well as connectedness and therefore enjoy many benefits over demographically similar communities with lower levels of trust, etc. People are healthier, happier, and longer lived; schools and public services work better; government is more effective and more trusted; people are safer; and the economy works more effectively.

Learn how nonprofit organizations can both contribute to this community connectedness and derive direct benefit from it in carrying out their work. (Sorry, this speaker's presentation is not available.)

Lewis M. Feldstein, president, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation is New Hampshire’s statewide community foundation, a powerful force for change and the principal source of venture capital for the state’s nonprofit community.

Feldstein and Robert Putnam of Harvard University are co-authors of the book that inspired the theme for this year's housing conference "Better Together: Restoring the American Community," published in the fall 2003. The duo also co-chaired the three-year executive seminar Civic Engagement in America.

Prior to becoming president of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Feldstein served as provost of the Antioch/New England Graduate School.

He is a graduate of Brown University and holds a master’s degree in law and diplomacy from Tufts University. In addition, Feldstein has received seven honorary doctorates. This year, he received the New Hampshire Lifetime of Service Award.

Building healthy communities
New Hampshire Housing began encouraging the development of smoke-free affordable housing this year through project scoring incentives. Conference attendees discovered how Breathe New Hampshire has been working with the owners and tenants of existing multi-family properties to help them implement smoke-free housing policies that lead to lower turnover costs, reduced risk of fire, and a living environment that is preferable for most tenants.

In addition, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) has been successfully used by Boston Housing Authority for several years. Livingston's presentation shows how the implementation of this approach has proven more effective at controlling pests and why it contributes to a healthier living environment for tenants and staff.

Making sense of local government
The local permitting process can be complex and confounding, as well as full of Byzantine intricacies and traps for the unwary. Using vignettes to illustrate how different things work, panelists dug into the process of New Hampshire municipal planning and zoning, and demonstrated why the planning board doesn't plan, and why the zoning board doesn't zone. Attendees learned how to identify tools and opportunities to effect change that can be beneficial to affordable and workforce housing development.

Speakers:           Ben Frost, director, public affairs, New Hampshire Housing
                          Kenneth Ortmann, department of planning and development, city of Rochester

What data can say about our communities
New Hampshire Housing presented the housing data available through its Web site, as well as data from other reliable sources. Speakers also demonstrated how to use this information effectively in real world situations by providing pertinent examples.

Speakers:           Dan Smith, director, housing research, New Hampshire Housing
                          Kathleen Moran, housing research analyst, New Hampshire Housing

First-time home buyers in today's mortgage market
Many challenges face first-time home buyers in New Hampshire's current mortgage market. Home Ownership staff discussed New Hampshire Housing's programs as well as where we plan to head in the future to help low- and moderate- income home buyers succeed.

Speakers:           Brenda Mahoney, assistant director, home ownership, New Hampshire Housing

Asset management and compliance issues
New Hampshire Housing staff presented a review and analysis of the changes and updates on the current issues in asset management and compliance.

Speakers:           Andy Boyle, director, asset management, New Hampshire Housing

Workforce housing: Creating awareness and eroding barriers
There are seven regional workforce housing coalitions working across the state to pull together businesses, government agencies, the housing industry, nonprofits, municipalities, and concerned citizens to raise awareness, reduce barriers and encourage the responsible production of affordable housing. These regional representatives discussed their work at the local grass roots level.

Moderator:           George Reagan, workforce housing project administrator, NHHFA
Speakers:             Lisa Fisher Henderson, Workforce Housing Coalition of the Greater Seacoast
                           Susy Thielen, coordinator, Heading for Home
                           Edie DesMarais, Eastern Lakes Region Workforce Housing Coalition
                           Judy Vincent, coordinator, Greater Nashua Workforce Housing Coalition

Redeveloping our communities
In addition to NHHFA programs, what other new and not-so-new programs can help revitalize neighborhoods and communities? Whether it's the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, a Federal Home Loan Bank program, an ARRA-funded energy program or a Rural Development program, conference attendees learned how to take advantage of these resources from the funders themselves.

Speakers:            Kathy Naczas, Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston
                          Alice Veenstra, Community Development Finance Authority
                          Gregg Mac Pherson , USDA, Rural Development
                          Mary Downes, New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning

Creating communities through social media
This session delved into the world of Web 2.0 and explained basic theory behind social media. Conference attendees learned about the power of this technology and how nonprofits and for profits can use it to attain success.

Moderator:            Bridget McMahon, communications administrator, New Hampshire Housing
Speakers:             Melissa Albano, Grapevine Consulting
                           Michele Talwani, external relations & communications director, NH CDFA

How does workforce housing fit into a community?
The term "workforce housing" evokes a variety of images and perceptions, often negative, for residents of a community. During this session, speakers presented examples of existing workforce housing that is attractive and, in fact, creates the community landscape. Some of the opportunities and challenges that affect the creation of a balanced and adequate supply of housing were discussed.

Moderator:           George Reagan, workforce housing project administrator, NHHFA
Speakers:            Anne Duncan Cooley, executive director, Upper Valley Housing Coalition
                           Robert White, ASLA, ORW Landscape Architects & Planners
                           Peter Whitman, development consultant
                           Ken Niemczyk, city planner, Lebanon