By: Carmen Lorentz, Lakes Region Community Developers Executive Director & Dana Nute, Resilient Buildings Group President
 
Imagine if you will, a happy little family.  There’s a single mother with two children and although she works full time, her income coupled with the ever-rising cost of living continues to make it difficult for her to make ends meet.  So, to ease the burden, she and her family move into a less expensive apartment. It’s not as nice, but she can more easily afford the rent. Great! Problem solved, right? Turns out, it’s not quite that simple.

That single mother may be saving on her rent, but statistics show that her energy burden (the percentage of gross household income spent on energy costs), is likely to be higher. According to the Department of Energy's Low-Income Energy Affordability Data (LEAD) Tool, the national average energy burden for low-income households is 8.6%.  That’s three times higher than for non-low-income households which is estimated at 3%. 

The reason why is that people of low-income don’t have a lot of choices when it comes to housing, so they tend to live in older buildings that are not energy-efficient. So even though they can least afford it, the cost to heat and cool their homes is higher, in relative terms, than for people who can afford to live in more modern, energy-efficient homes.  

During the month of June, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) organizes National Healthy Homes Month to “increase awareness of housing related health and safety hazards…and the overall principles of a healthy home, especially in low-income populations.” This year, for National Healthy Homes Month, we’d like to raise awareness about the importance of energy efficiency in rental housing.

Our goal at Lakes Region Community Developers (LRCD) is housing stability for our tenants because we believe that quality, stable housing is a platform for people of low income to build their own pathway to economic security. As one of our tenants so eloquently said, “A stable home was the base I needed to pursue the life I wanted for myself and my kids. Without a safe, stable home, it is hard to do anything more than try to survive.”

We have seen first-hand that fluctuating electric bills can jeopardize housing stability. It is common for tenants who first move into one of our older apartment buildings during the summer to have difficulty paying their rent when the cold weather sets in and their utility bills go up. People who live on the edge financially rarely have savings they can rely on to accommodate changes in their monthly budget. Our tenants are lucky because we have staff available to help them find resources to get caught up. Most renters are not so fortunate.

A few years ago, we made it a strategic priority to invest more time and resources into making our apartments as efficient as possible so that our tenants don’t experience significant fluctuations in their monthly household costs. As a landlord with bills of our own to pay, we figured if our tenants are doing well, then we will do well. And that thinking is definitely paying off. We absolutely see better rent collections at the properties where we have made investments in energy efficiency.

Other landlords may read this and think, “But LRCD is a non-profit, so they can pay for all this with grants and donations. I can’t do that!” We are happy to tell you that is not true. There are many programs available that can help landlords improve the energy efficiency of their properties.

Resilient Buildings Group (RBG) is a New Hampshire company whose mission is to scale up the number and quality of high-performance, low-energy-use, resilient buildings in New England. RBG specializes in analyzing the needs of a building and packaging various financing programs together to make a project financially beneficial for the building owner. RBG has provided this service to LRCD on several projects, including our rehabilitation of a 40-unit apartment complex in Ashland in 2020, and a 25-unit complex in Meredith which is under construction right now.

Even if you’re not a landlord who provides housing to people of low-income and even if you’ve never had trouble paying your electric bill, there is still reason for you to care about energy efficiency in rental housing. Commercial buildings, such as apartment buildings, use a lot of energy. You can think of energy efficiency as a carbon free source of energy because whatever measurement of energy we don't use, is one that we don't have to burn fossil fuels for. Most people think of adding renewable energy like solar or wind as the best way to make a building more “green.” But basic energy efficiency improvements like adding insulation, sealing cracks, installing new windows or doors create the same outcome while often costing less.

So if you are concerned about climate change, please consider supporting organizations that improve energy efficiency in rental housing, like LRCD or your local Community Action Program agency. We don’t typically fundraise like traditional environmental organizations, but we make a big difference in local efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

We are thrilled to share that this nature trail was just finished at our 48-unit rental property in Wolfeboro!
The non-motorized recreation trail is roughly 1800 feet long with a 5-6 foot wide compacted gravel surface, running from the southern portion of the housing complex and heading southwest to Route 109A.
Special thanks to the Eastern Lakes Region Housing Coalition (ELRHC), our partner in Harriman Hill who raised the funds needed for this project and oversaw the construction.  THANK YOU!
ELRHC named the trail in honor of Edie DesMarais, a founding member of ELRHC whose dedication to the cause of affordable housing made the Harriman Hill development possible. On June 15th, LRCD and ELRHC hosted a ribbon cutting to celebrate the completion of “Edie’s Trail” and honor Edie for her many contributions. 

​Mother, college student, hard worker, community-driven, and advocate are just a few of the words one could use to describe Lakes Region Community Developers (LRCD) Resident and Board Member, Carrie Duran.

Renovations are moving along on schedule at Harvey Heights Meredith. Since beginning construction in January, eight apartments have been fully renovated and tenants have moved in to those units, and now renovations will begin on their old units.  Construction is scheduled to wrap up around the end of this year.

Renovated units have new flooring, kitchen cabinets, windows, countertops, energy-efficient appliances and so much more. Common areas, like stairwells shown in the pictures above, are also being renovated.

Funders that made this project possible include Raymond James Tax Credit Fund, New Hampshire Housing, New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture – Rural Development, Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, NeighborWorks America, and Rural LISC. Construction financing is provided by Franklin Savings Bank. Permanent financing is provided by NeighborWorks Capital and USDA – Rural Development. North Branch Construction is the construction manager. Stewart Associates Architects and Northpoint Engineering comprise the design team.

To learn more about this project visit our website at https://www.lrcommunitydevelopers.org/projects.html

Last year LRCD put up five new free libraries in four different communities and stocked them with books from the Little Free Library Read in Color list. Read in Color books provide perspectives on racism and social justice; celebrate BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other marginalized voices; and incorporate experiences from all identities for all readers.

We were thrilled to find the need to restock the libraries this spring with more books from the Read in Color list. If you're interested in what books our residents have been enjoying you can find the comprehensive list here https://littlefreelibrary.org/read-in-color-recommended-reading/

LRCD  and Lakes Region Community Services have partnered to bring you the powerful stories of people living in our community. We will share their life journeys, struggles, triumphs, and aspirations. We think you will find that their goals and dreams are not so different from your own. Affordable housing is about everyone in our community being able to afford a home that supports good physical, financial, and emotional well-being.

Thank you Lakes Region Community Services for providing the latest installment of the Faces of Affordable Housing.

Gilford Community Church provides a grant of $25,000 in support of the redevelopment of the Gale School in Belmont. The project will transform the historic schoolhouse into a community facility that will include a new early learning center operated by the Boys & Girls Club and a new program center operated by Lakes Region Community Services.
 
To read full press release click here https://www.lrcommunitydevelopers.org/latestnews

Help Save a Piece of History,
Provide Child Care & Family Supports
$220,000 in NH Business Tax Credits Available to Support the Gale School Project
 
To learn more about how your business can support this project, please visit https://www.lrcommunitydevelopers.org/gale-school-fundraising.html or contact Carmen Lorentz at (603) 524-0747 ext 110 or CLorentz@LRcommunitydevelopers.org. Thank you.

Our most recent graduate is a mom of two who was driving a car that was no longer road worthy and unsafe. She now has a safe, reliable, and fuel efficient car to get her kids where they need to go! Congratulations to her and as always a huge thanks to our Take the Wheel partners, Franklin Savings Bank, Grappone Automotive Group, and HOMEteam NH! 

LRCD's Executive Director, Carmen Lorentz, participated in NHEnergy Week as a panelist on Monday. You can watch the panels discussion by clicking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LFoYpCmYEw&t=2418s

That got us thinking on way we can all decrease our energy usage. Please some things that you can do below.

1. Take advantage of a home energy audit
   A home energy audit is an assessment that allows you to identify the best ways to improve the energy efficiency in your home. This audit easily identifies which areas of the house require the most electricity and cooling and is important for reducing waste. Check out some energy audit resources at NHSaves.com
   
   
2. Use power strips whenever possible
   Power strips are particularly useful due to the fact that they help users to avoid overloading electrical outlets and prevent them from draining unnecessary energy. Power strips also help to efficiently distribute energy to appliances. With efficiency comes shorter wait time for devices to charge and also less wasted energy, which is quite beneficial financially.
   
   
3. Switch to LED light bulbs
   LED bulbs have greater overall efficiency, overcoming flaws in incandescent bulbs like their poor ability to function in cold temperatures. LEDs also have a much longer life than incandescent bulbs, making up for their greater upfront cost. LEDs have a more durable bust than other bulbs and do not burn out as traditional lights do, but rather dim into darkness.   
   

Gilford Community Church provides a grant of $25,000 in support of the redevelopment of the Gale School in Belmont. The project will transform the historic schoolhouse into a community facility that will include a new early learning center operated by the Boys & Girls Club and a new program center operated by Lakes Region Community Services.

“The Gilford Community Church is excited to disburse one of two grant-based contributions of the Daniell Fund to the Gale School Project,” said Jessica Fleck, Outreach Committee Chair of Gilford Community Church.  “In these times of uncertainty and challenges for families, being able to support a project that will serve young children and families, fulfills our mission to support local charitable organizations that enrich and improve the quality of life for our community.   It will be amazing to watch the Gale School be brought back to life and become a home for two vital programs for this area.  We are very thankful to be able to help with the final fit-up needs for the school.”

“We are incredibly grateful to have the support of the Gilford Community Church,” said Carmen Lorentz, Executive Director of Lakes Region Community Developers (LRCD), the developer of the project. “This generous grant will ensure we have the necessary funds for the final fit-up of the school.  Bringing the Gale School back to life so it can serve children and families once again is only possible because of the support provided by community businesses and organizations, like the Gilford Community Church.”
Construction on the Gale School could begin in the later months of this year if all funds are secured as planned.

The Gale School was built in 1894, and was used by the Belmont school district until the mid-1980s. The building has been mostly vacant since then, and years of neglect have taken their toll. The Gale School was named to the New Hampshire State Register of Historic Places in 2018, and was selected as one of New Hampshire’s Seven to Save in 2017.

In July 2020, the building was successfully moved by the local Save Our Gale School Committee (SOGS) to a new location at 60 Concord Street in Belmont Village. LRCD agreed to partner with SOGS to redevelop the building.