Housing Challenges & Solutions

New Hampshire’s economic well-being depends on a sufficient supply of housing to support our diverse workforce. By ensuring there is a balanced and affordable supply of housing in our state, New Hampshire businesses – present and future – will view our state as an attractive place to live and work. In our communities, the interplay of demand, demographics, land use regulations, development, geography, and other factors can make it difficult to find affordable housing solutions for our workforce.

• Approaching your community’s housing challenges – and the possible solutions – with curiosity, creativity,
  and willingness to explore is key.
• Engaging community members and coming together to look at tools and techniques to expand housing diversity, supply, and affordability starts here.

Have you come across some housing terms that need a definition? Click here for some explanations.

THE ISSUES, CHALLENGES, AND SOLUTIONS

While there is agreement that New Hampshire has a housing crisis — a severe lack of a diverse rental and for-sale housing inventory, how to address the shortfall will require a multi-pronged focus. There are many reasons for the shortage: a misalignment between housing supply and future demand, shifts in housing preferences among younger generations, and an aging population, among them. In particular, restrictive city and town land use regulations have made it difficult for developers to add new housing stock in communities around the state.

In 2023, New Hampshire Housing published the New Hampshire Statewide Housing Needs Assessment, which provides regional and statewide data on supply and demand, affordability challenges, and projected housing needs over the next two decades. To complement this data-driven report, How Do We Talk About Housing? offers a practical, community-led approach for local housing advocates. It emphasizes the importance of listening to resident experiences, facilitating open dialogue, and fostering grassroots efforts to create local solutions and build support for change.

WHAT’S YOUR INTEREST IN HOUSING IN OUR STATE?

The links below take you to content to help you hone in on information. By learning more about housing issues and your community, you can help ensure that all Granite Staters have a place to call home.