There has not been much attention paid to all the efforts being made to address housing availability and costs in New Hampshire. I have represented the Legislature in the Interagency Council on Homelessness for 4 years. In June, Pamela Hughes Patenaude, HUD Deputy Secretary came to a housing round table in Manchester. This was a working meeting with local leaders, industry leaders, and others involved in housing to figure out how to create more affordable housing opportunities. To be clear, this was not the usual “if you care you’ll increase funding” type of meeting. The people involved worked on real solutions. It is encouraging seeing all this effort and focus. I just returned from a meeting in Washington DC where HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson detailed creative new strategies for improving the prospects for subsidized renters. There are also plans for helping renters become home owners if they wish, without repeating the mistakes of the past programs which led to the housing crash. I’m happy to be involved in a process that may create real positive change for people who need a break. If you are interested int he specifics discussed at the round table, I have attached the full list of people there and their recommendations.  Affordable Housing Roundtable Suggestions

Steve