​On March 28th, we cut the ribbon on Bay Street Apartments, which will offer 12 units of permanent supportive housing in Laconia for people experiencing homelessness or at-risk of homelessness, in partnership with Lakes Region Mental Health Center.
 
We’d like to express our gratitude to the design team – Stewart Associates Architects, Northpoint Engineering, and Resilient Buildings Group – for their outstanding work designing this beautiful and energy efficient building. We are so appreciative of Bauen Corporation and all their subcontractors for their diligent workmanship and amazing team spirit.

​We would like to thank the City of Laconia and Belknap County for applying for grant funds on behalf of the project.
 
Bay Street Apartments would not have been possible without financing and grant funding from New Hampshire Housing (funding from the National Housing Trust Fund and the New Hampshire Affordable Housing Fund), New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority (funding from the federal Community Development Block Grant), Invest NH, and NeighborWorks Capital.

​We are so grateful to the many advocates and donors who contributed to this project. It truly has been a community effort, all the way from the permitting process to furnishing the apartments.
 
We expect the building to be fully occupied within in a few weeks. 

​We have added a new page to our website where Ashland residents can find detailed information about the proposed Village at Mill Pond housing development. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation circulating in the community about the project, including amongst members of the planning board.
 
The Village at Mill Pond, proposed at 35 Mill Pond Lane in Ashland, will offer 76 units of townhouse-style rental housing (60 two-bedroom and 16 three-bedroom apartments), as well as four single-family lots to be developed in partnership with Pemi Valley Habitat for Humanity.
 
The site is a former paper mill and an active Brownfield. Our Executive Director, Carmen Lorentz, recently wrote a letter to the editor to push back on misinformation about the status of the environmental assessment process.
 
If you have friends or family in Ashland, please share these resources with them so they can form an accurate understanding of the project. 

​Year over year, we continue to be inspired by the community spirit and dedication of all the volunteers who make the Children’s Auction a success. This year, we are fortunate to receive a $30,000 grant from the Auction for operating support. This critical funding enables us to continue our mission of creating affordable housing opportunities and empowering our tenants to achieve economic security. We are also appreciative that the Auction recently featured us in one of their Changemaker Chronicles profiles on their blog! 

​April 21-25 is National Community Development Week, which is a time to highlight the importance of the Community Development Block Grant, which is administered here in our state by New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority, and the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, which is administered by New Hampshire Housing.
 
We rely on funding from both programs in nearly all of our housing developments. These federal resources are absolutely critical for New Hampshire. Unfortunately, they are at-risk in the current environment. Please contact your US Representative and both of NH’s Senators to express your support for CDBG and HOME. We cannot address our housing and homelessness crisis without these vital resources!

​Help us reach our goal to raise $12,000 for landscaping and outdoor furniture at Jameson Street Apartments, which will offer three units of permanent supportive housing for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, in partnership with Lakes Region Community Services.

11 Jameson Street
​Construction got underway on March 3 on this project in Laconia to convert a single-family house into three one-bedroom apartments. These apartments will be supportive housing for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Lakes Region Community Services will provide ongoing supportive services to the tenants. Construction is planned to be completed this fall.
We are grateful to NH Housing, the NH Community Development Finance Authority, and the City of Laconia for providing the funding for this project.
 
Hollis Construction Management is the general contractor.

Retirement funds are a great asset to leave to charity, because – unlike your heirs – charitable beneficiaries do not have to pay any income taxes for receiving those funds.

Leaving IRAs or other retirement assets to LRCD is quick and easy – you can simply notify the custodian of your retirement funds that you want all or part of a particular fund to pass to “Laconia Area Community Land Trust, Inc dba Lakes Region Community Developers.” Our Federal Tax ID number is 02-0426348.

Bay Street Update
Construction on Bay Street Apartments in Laconia is wrapping up in just a couple weeks! What a transformation from the burned-out house and pile of rubble that was on the site.
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​This property will offer 12 efficiency apartments for people experiencing homelessness or at-risk of homelessness. Supportive services will be provided by Lakes Region Mental Health Center.

State Housing Policy Update
The NH Legislature has moved several pro-housing proposals forward this session, including mandatory zoning changes and increased state funding. While the session is far from over and the state is facing significant budget constraints, there is clear bipartisan support for common-sense proposals that will help our state address the very serious housing crisis that we face. We encourage you to sign up for Housing Action NH’s weekly newsletter to get the latest.

​Construction of Bay Street Apartments continues moving ahead on schedule with completion planned for late March. The electric wiring is done, the air-source heat pump system is up and running, and half of the exterior siding has been installed. Drywall goes up soon!
 
This building will offer 12 efficiency units of supportive housing for people experiencing or at-risk of homelessness. Lakes Region Mental Health Center is the supportive services provider for this project.

​Thank you to Northpoint Engineering for their generous contribution to the Bay Street furniture fundraising campaign! Northpoint is a longstanding partner of LRCD; they provided the civil engineering services for Bay Street and have worked on many other LRCD projects.
 
LRCD also received a $2,500 gift from Melcher & Prescott Insurance and Co-operative Insurance Companies in January for the Bay Street furniture campaign. The gift was awarded as part of Co-op’s Community Grants program. Thank you to Melcher & Prescott for applying on our behalf!

​If you would like to make housing a part of your legacy, consider making a charitable provision for LRCD in your will or trust.
 
This kind of charitable bequest can take several forms. It can be a designated dollar amount, a percentage of the estate, or “the residual” – that is, the amount remaining in the estate after all other obligations and payments have been made.
 
If you are interested in leaving a gift to Lakes Region Community Developers in your will or trust, please speak with your attorney. We encourage you to provide your attorney with this sample language:
 
“I hereby give and bequeath __________________ (dollar amount, percentage of my estate, or residual of my estate after other bequests) to Laconia Area Community Land Trust, Inc dba Lakes Region Community Developers, 193 Court Street, Laconia, New Hampshire, 03246, for its general purposes.”
 
Please contact Carmen Lorentz at (603) 524-0747 x110 for more information.

Just before Christmas, the Save Our Gale School Committee (SOGS) signed the deed for the Gale School property in Belmont over to LRCD. We continue working to try to close on all the financing and begin construction this year.
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LRCD plans to restore the 1894 Gale School according to state and federal historic preservation standards. When renovations are complete, the Boys & Girls Club of Central and Northern New Hampshire will operate a childcare center on the first floor and Lakes Region Community Services will have a new program center on the second floor where they will offer classes and programming for all ages.

​LRCD is grateful for a recent grant from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s John F. Jr. and Patricia Weeks Fund for general support. This type of flexible funding is critical to our ability to create more affordable housing in the Lakes Region.

​Things are changing daily in the policy and funding landscape. Like many other non-profit organizations, LRCD is concerned about fast-moving developments at the federal level that may impact our ability to carry out our mission. Due to how quickly things are happening, we encourage interested readers to sign up for email updates from the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the National Council of Nonprofits, both of which do a great job staying on top of everything going on.
 
At the state level, Housing Action NH is a fantastic resource. They now offer a weekly email newsletter on Fridays pre-viewing the housing-related bills scheduled to be heard or voted on in the NH Legislature. We definitely recommend you sign up for their updates if you’d like to weigh in on state housing policy proposals.

​Thank you to Lakes FM 101.5 for their in-depth show on February 7 about housing and homelessness in the Lakes Region. Click here to listen if you missed it.

​We are pleased to welcome Judi Donnelly, Jeanie Forrester, and Kyril Mitchell to our Board of Directors! Click here to learn more about these amazing community volunteers who have chosen to dedicate their time and expertise to LRCD’s mission.

In September, we set a goal to raise $45,000 to fully furnish the 12 supportive housing efficiency apartments at 17 Bay Street, Laconia. Thanks to the generosity of this community, we have exceeded that goal and raised $50,000! With the extra funds, we will create comfortable outdoor spaces on the porch and in the back yard to really make Bay Street feel like home.

​Thank you to Melcher & Prescott Insurance for their generous contribution to the Bay Street furnishings campaign! Pictured above are Randy Eifert, President – Property & Casualty of Melcher & Prescott; Carmen Lorentz of LRCD, and Bill Bald, President of Melcher & Prescott.
 
We would also like to express our gratitude to the NH Electric Co-op Foundation, the Annette P. Schmitt Charitable Trust, and to Taylor Community and their generous residents Susan & John Davies.

In December, LRCD’s Board of Directors approved our new strategic plan after a six-month planning process incorporating input from the Board and from our residents and staff.

Our overarching goals remain the same: to create a healthier housing ecosystem in the Lakes Region, and to empower our residents to achieve economic security. But we have laid out new and ambitious objectives to help us achieve these goals over the next three years. For details, click the button below.

The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation recently made a two-year, $40,000 grant to LRCD for general operating support. This grant was made possible by gifts from the Foundation’s Chandler Family Fund and Lakes Region Community Fund.
 
Over the next two years, this critical support will help us grow our pipeline of affordable housing projects, elevate the performance of our existing rental portfolio, and work to increase public support for affordable housing in the Lakes Region.

​Lakes Region Community Developers (LRCD) is pleased to announce the addition of three new members to its Board of Directors: Judith Donnelly, LRCD Tenant; Jeanie Forrester of NH Dept. of Business & Economic Affairs; and Kyril Mitchell of Northway Bank. The Board provides leadership for carrying out the organization’s mission of creating affordable housing and empowering LRCD’s tenants to achieve economic security.
 
Judith (Judi) Donnelly has been a resident at LRCD’s Harriman Hill Apartments in Wolfeboro since August 2014. She is a retired realtor who worked for 30+ years with Maxfield Real Estate. Her husband, who has since passed away, owned his own general contracting business. Judi gained a lot of experience in the housing industry through both means – selling homes and helping her husband prepare bids for building homes.  Judi is an active resident leader at Harriman Hill who is well-respected by her neighbors and property management. 

​Kyril Mitchell is the Assistant Vice President - Small Business Relationship Manager for Northway Bank and an active member of the community. After completing his service as Staff Sergeant for the U.S Army in 2005, he proceeded to build a career in the banking industry that spans almost 20 years. In addition to his Board member role with LRCD, Kyril serves on the board for Lakes Region Mental Health Center and is an unaffiliated member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Previously, he also served on the Laconia Planning Board and as a board member for Hands Across the Table.

​“We are so happy to start the new year by welcoming such a strong group of community members to our Board,” said Lori Borrin, Vice President / Loan Officer at MVSB and LRCD Board Chair. “Each of our incoming Board members brings a unique perspective and skill set that will enhance LRCD’s efforts to create more affordable housing in the Lakes Region.”
 
In pursuing their mission, LRCD has several projects currently underway that will help alleviate some of the challenges around affordable housing availability. Construction is two-thirds of the way done at Bay Street Apartments in Laconia, which will contain 12 efficiency units of supportive housing for individuals experiencing or at-risk of homelessness. Renovations will soon begin at 11 Jameson Street, Laconia where LRCD will renovate a single-family house into three small one-bedroom units of supportive housing for individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities. In addition, construction is planned to begin this spring on Harriman Hill III in Wolfeboro, which will contain 30 units of affordable housing in a mix of unit sizes.