LRCD is hosting it's second annual Housing & Economy Snapshot on Thursday, April 15th from 4:00pm to 5:30pm. The virtual event will include a screening of NH PBS' Communities and Consequences II: Rebalancing New Hampshire's Human Ecology and will be followed by a panel discussion.

4PM - 5PM SCREENING OF THE FILM
Communities & Consequences II

5PM - 5:30PM PANEL DISCUSSION WITH
Jay Childs, Film Director
Bonnie Medico, Eastern Lakes Region Housing Coalition
Kathy Barnard, Eastern Lakes Region Housing Coalition

Moderated by Carmen Lorentz, Lakes Region Community Developers

It has been a busy couple of months as the NH Legislature began to tackle its 2021 session in mostly virtual meetings. There have been many proposals regarding housing affordability this session. Here are the highlights from LRCD’s perspective. A big thanks to Housing Action NH for helping its members (like us) keep track of all that is going on!
 
House Budget Hearing Tuesday. New Hampshire's House Finance Committee has scheduled the first public hearing on the state budget for this Tuesday, March 16th at 1 pm. Housing Action NH, of which LRCD is a member, encourages housing advocates to testify in support of funding for:

• The NH Affordable Housing Fund
• Homeless Services
• Housing Appeals Board

You can register to testify here by selecting House Finance and HB 1. We recommend that you select “neutral.” You can also email your testimony to HouseFinanceCommittee@leg.state.nh.us
 
Housing Toolbox Bill/ HB 586. Following a favorable Ought to Pass recommendation (15-3) from the House Municipal and County Government Committee, HB 586, known as the housing toolbox bill, was tabled by the full House in a vote of 175-172. This is unfortunate because the bill includes important proposals to address housing affordability:

1. economic development tools like TIF districts and community revitalization tax incentives for housing development;
2. improves the predictability of the local approval process; and
3. establishes a new Housing Champion certification program for municipalities.
   
   

Affordable Housing Fund/ SB 127. Senator Majority Leader Jeb Bradley’s bill to provide $10 million to the NH Affordable Housing Fund was incorporated into a Senate omnibus bill on appropriations, SB 127. The hearing before House Finance included testimony in support of the proposal from business leaders, realtors, young professionals and affordable housing advocates.
 
Homeless Services/ SB 140. Senator Cindy Rosenwald’s bill, SB 140, to provide $18 million for homeless services was passed by the Senate 23-1. The bill was amended to source the funding from federal resources. The bill now heads to the Senate Finance Committee.

Thank you to Sheehan Phinney, Stafford Oil, and Wescott Law for supporting LRCD with NH Business Tax Credit purchases!

Our tax credit sales support the continued renovations of 193 Court Street.  In Phase 1, we did all the work we could afford to do to convert the vacant building into our headquarters and the hub of our community building & engagement work in Laconia. These tax credit sales will support Phase 2 which includes: more insulation, new siding on the north and west walls, parking lot improvements, and landscaping.

If your business pays NH business enterprise or business profits taxes in NH, you can redirect a significant portion of your tax liability to a local project like this. Please contact Carmen at CLorentz@LRcommunitydevelopers.org if you are interested in supporting the 193 Court Street Project.

LRCD rolled out our Adult Dental Care program in the Fall of 2020. The rollout included a resource guide that was sent to all our households. The program also includes a limited amount of funding available to help LRCD residents pay for uncovered dental services. The cost-share program is determined on a case-by-case basis and typically grants are for half of the resident's uncovered dental costs.

To date, the program has assisted three residents. Don, a dental subsidy recipient, had this to say about his experience - “LRCD staff was so helpful and gracious through the quick completion of my dental repair needs, which produced improved health and peace of mind. Thank you again for providing this program for our community.” Three more residents are currently working on a treatment plan with their dentists.

The program has been funded by Northeast Delta Dental, NeighborWorks America and Speare Memorial Hospital.

When Carol Bickford recently retired from New Hampshire Mutual Bancorp after 37 years of dedicated service, most recently as the Senior Vice President and Retail Lending Officer, the Board of Directors for Meredith Village Savings Bank (MVSB) opted to honor the valued employee with a donation of five thousand dollars to the nonprofit of her choice. We are honored that she selected LRCD.

“We are so grateful to Carol and the Board of MVSB for this donation,” said Carmen Lorentz, Executive Director of LRCD. “Carol has been an amazing advocate and partner for many years, helping us to create affordable housing, provide transitional housing and supports for homeless families, develop new types of real estate to respond to local community needs, and empower families to succeed.”

Congratulations on your retirement, Carol!

Executive Director, Carmen Lorentz, continues to advocate for funding to address housing needs in the Lakes Region. She has participated in several roundtable discussions with our federal congressional delegation in recent months. This news article from January summarizes a housing roundtable convened by Senator Shaheen.
 
Housing advocates tell Shaheen crisis worsening under COVID | Local News | laconiadailysun.com Jan 15, 2021

We are so grateful to you, our funders, donors, partners, and advocates. Thank you for the many forms of support you lent to our mission in 2020.

Thanks to you, we were able to keep all of our 700+ tenants in healthy homes, regardless of their ability to pay rent during this pandemic.

With your help, we created new programs to help tenants overcome barriers to securing reliable transportation and accessing restorative dental care.

Your support enabled us to work on a range of innovative housing and community facility projects that are desperately needed in our community to ensure that everyone in the Lakes Region has a healthy home and is empowered to succeed.

Last year tested our mettle for sure, but more than anything, it illuminated the strength of our community. I cannot begin to fully express the gratitude I feel in my heart today. Every expression of support and every message of encouragement that you collectively gave us last year kept us going through some difficult moments. On behalf of our board, our residents, and our staff, we thank you.

Be safe and be well.
Carmen Lorentz

Thank you to Meredith Village Savings Bank, Main Street America Insurance, Resilient Buildings Group, Melcher & Prescott Insurance, and Leone, McDonnell & Roberts PA for supporting LRCD with NH Business Tax Credit purchases!

Our tax credit sales support the continued renovations of 193 Court Street.  In Phase 1, we did all the work we could afford to do to convert the vacant building into our headquarters and the hub of our community building & engagement work in Laconia. These tax credit sales will support Phase 2 which includes: more insulation, new siding on the north and west walls, parking lot improvements, and landscaping.

LRCD MUST SELL $53,000 BY MARCH 31, 2021

If your business pays NH business enterprise or business profits taxes in NH, you can redirect a significant portion of your tax liability to a local project like this. Please contact Carmen at CLorentz@LRcommunitydevelopers.org if you are interested in supporting the 193 Court Street Project.

LRCD received funds from NeighborWorks America to offer materials to residents in different languages. Our annual community survey and our most recent tenant newsletter were made available in English and Spanish.

LRCD residents helped downtown Laconia get into the Christmas spirit by adding their homemade ornaments to the LRCD tree. LRCD sponsored a tree as part of Celebrate Laconia Lights Festival.

The Board of Directors of the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) has announced $4.1 million dollars in matching grants awarded to thirty-two projects across the state, including the Gale School project in Belmont.

LRCD has received a $21,000 grant award to support the pre-development work required for the renovations of the historic Gale School.

We are very appreciative of LCHIP’s investment in redeveloping the Gale School” said Carmen Lorentz, LRCD's Executive Director. “The LCHIP award enables us to hire a Historic Consultant, complete civil engineering, and begin architectural work, all crucial items for the redevelopment of this historic building."

LRCD is honored to have our Gilford Village Knolls III development featured in the Community Loan Fund's Annual Report. The Fund provided the necessary loan funds for a large rooftop solar array.

To learn more about our work with the Community Loan Fund on GVK III and to see their Annual Report - click here.

Residents enjoyed some socially distanced fun fall activities. An outdoor pumpkin carving & painting event took place at Harvey Heights Meredith. Also, trunk or treat events were held at Ames Brook Apartments in Ashland and Lochmere Meadows in Tilton.

LRCD was recently awarded funds to help expand our Community Building & Engagement Program. Funding was provided by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), a federal agency with the mission to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. CNCS has awarded Volunteer Generation Fund dollars to Volunteer NH, which then selected nonprofit organizations like LRCD to receive sub-grants to grow volunteer program opportunities that support New Hampshire communities. With this award, LRCD has been able to double the capacity of our Community Building & Engagement (CB&E) program with the recent hiring of a second Resident Services Coordinator.

Experience has shown that the most effective way to accomplish community goals is to engage its community members. Through the CB&E program, we are empowering our residents to work together to find solutions to the problems in their community, such as establish a community watch, hold informational events, or host guest speakers. LRCD is working to give residents the tools necessary, to host community events, and create things to strengthen their communities.

LRCD is grateful for this funding and excited to see the growth of this program, our residents, and our communities.

LRCD's rehabilitation of Ames Brook Apartments is complete. This $5 million rehab project has brought Ames Brook  and its 40-units up to our healthy housing standards by improving life safety systems, indoor air quality, accessibility, and energy efficiency.

Please enjoy this four-minute virtual tour of Ames Brook Apartments.

We moved into 193 Court Street, Laconia last summer, but the renovations are not done! Last, year, we did all the work we could afford to do to convert the vacant building into our headquarters and the hub of our community building & engagement work in Laconia. The items still left to do include: more insulation, new siding on the north and west walls, parking lot improvements, and landscaping. If your business pays NH business enterprise or business profits taxes in NH, you can redirect a significant portion of your tax liability to a local project like this. Please contact Carmen at CLorentz@LRcommunitydevelopers.org if you are interested in supporting the 193 Court Street Project.

2020 America Recycles Day focuses on individual action by highlighting the actions we can all take to collectively address the challenges facing our nation’s recycling system. It aims to inspire communities and individuals to recognize the economic, environmental, and social benefits of recycling. We urge people to reduce, reuse, re-purpose and recycle in every aspect of their life. To actively choose to live a recycled lifestyle by: 

1. Recycling at home, work, school and on the go; 
2. Buying products made with recycled content; and 
3. Educating and encouraging friends, family, and neighbors to take the to recycle!

Happy America Recycles Day!