Housing is a hot issue. In NH and throughout the country, scarce available housing is putting a strain on working families and preventing businesses from recruiting and retaining workers. Impacts from the housing crisis are rippling through communities. Throughout 2022, SRPC will address this issue head on as part of its Regional Housing Needs Assessment. This project will look in-depth at the housing needs of the region across all income levels. This document will provide a foundation for change by including tools, recommendations, and strategies for local decision makers to address these issue in their communities. This project is also being completed by each of the other eight regional planning commissions across the state, with common outreach strategies, methodologies and outlines for each plan.

Community engagement will be critical for this project, and SRPC staffers are hoping to hear from those who live in the region! Feedback from residents about how the housing crisis has impacted your business, community, or you personally is vital to informing this assessment.

SRPC launched its outreach in Feb. 2022, which included an online survey. This survey closed on Jul. 1, 2022.

To complement the important data gathered via the survey, SRPC held three outreach events. The SRPC Housing Workshop was geared towards municipal planning and administrative staff and took place on August 16 in two sessions, one for SRPC’s smaller, more rural communities, and one for SRPC’s larger, more urban communities. SRPC then held its RHNA Commissioner Workshop on September 22, followed by its last outreach event, the Housing Forum on September 26. This last event was attended by housing authority & workforce housing representatives and social service providers.

A draft of the RHNA was presented to SRPC Commissioners at their Dec. 1 meeting. A public comment draft is available below, under the ‘Documents’ header.

The document was accepted on March 17, 2023. View this and previous editions of the RHNA here.