BOOTHBY THERAPY SERVICES SUPPORTS GALE SCHOOL  Photo caption (left to right): Christopher Boothby, Vice President Business Services; Jennifer McGreevy, Director of Company Partnerships; Maren Boothby, President; Carmen Lorentz, Lakes Region Community Developers; Heather Sydorwicz, Director of Related Services; and John Rodrigues, Chief Operations Officer. Boothby Therapy Services has purchased $100,000 in New Hampshire business tax credits to support 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. “We’re always looking for ways in which we can support the children and families in our community beyond what we offer at Boothby Therapy Services,” said Maren Boothby, MS, CCC-SLP and President, Boothby Therapy Services. “Contributing to the redevelopment of the Gale School falls perfectly in alignment with our mission to help children succeed and we are proud to be a part of this fantastic project.” “We are incredibly thankful to have the support of Boothby Therapy Services,” said Carmen Lorentz, Executive Director of Lakes Region Community Developers (LRCD), the developer of the project. “Support from our local business community is critical to bringing the Gale School back to life so it can serve children and families once again.” MORE TAX CREDITS AVAILABLE NEXT YEAR Construction on the Gale School could begin as early as summer 2022 if all funds are secured as planned. LRCD was awarded $500,000 in tax credits for this year and another $250,000 for next year. All $500,000 for this year have been sold. Businesses interested in purchasing tax credits next year for the Gale School project should contact Carmen Lorentz at LRCD by calling (603) 524-0747, ext 110. NH EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM The NH Emergency Rental Assistance Program provides financial assistance for New Hampshire renters who cannot pay their rent and utilities during the pandemic. The program works with tenants and landlords, and is expected to be available through at least 2022. The state’s five Community Action Partnership agencies accept and process applications for assistance. Applications can be submitted at CAPNH.org. Since it launched in March, NHERAP has expended $75 million to help more than 10,000 New Hampshire households remain in their homes by making payments to property owners and utility companies. As of this writing, approximately 60 LRCD tenants have collectively received $201,965 in rental assistance in 2021, with another $22,194 in assistance pending. LRCD residents have also been assisted by generous funders who supported our Eviction Prevention Program. Funders include NeighborWorks America, The Dobles Foundation, The Linden Family Foundation, Northeast Delta Dental, The Hodges Companies, and EverSource Engergy. LEGISLATIVE UPDATES FEDERAL UPDATES Funding for housing and community development in the federal fiscal year 2022 budget remains on hold despite the new fiscal year having started on October 1, 2021. In order to prevent a government shutdown earlier this month, Congress passed a second continuing resolution that funds all federal programs at fiscal year 2021 levels through February 18, 2022. Congress is one step closer to enacting the Build Back Better Act with the House’s approval on November 19. Build Back Better includes major investments in housing, including:
STATE UPDATES As the New Hampshire Legislature gears up for its 2022 session, here are two issues we are paying attention to: We expect the “Housing Toolkit” bill will be reintroduced (again). This bill contains a range of new tools that local governments can use to encourage development of affordable housing. Despite being drafted and sponsored by a bipartisan group of legislators in 2019, the bill died during the truncated 2020 session and faced unexpected opposition during the 2021 session. Let’s hope the third time’s the charm this year! The Housing Appeals Board has been up and running for about a year now, doing its important work to provide an expedited process for housing developers to appeal denial of local approvals outside the NH court system. We expect, yet again, that there will be an effort by some in the legislature who oppose affordable housing to shut down the Housing Appeals Board. TAKE THE WHEEL - TWO NEWEST GRADUATES Take the Wheel NH has had two more successful graduates! One is a full-time employee at a Lakes Region manufacturing company who has been riding a bike to work. The other is a full-time employee of a domestic violence shelter whose high-interest rate on their current car loan was making it impossible to get ahead. We are thrilled that they have both found reliable, fuel-efficient, and affordable cars! LRCD continues to be grateful to the hard working and generous partners of this program, HOMEteamNH, Franklin Savings Bank, and Grappone Automotive Group. We are also grateful to the programs major funder, The Linden Family Foundation. OVERNIGHT CAMP SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM With the generous support from businesses and individuals, 11 children who live in our affordable housing developments will have the opportunity to experience overnight camp in summer 2022. Lakes Region Community Developers (LRCD) has established an Overnight Camp Scholarship program in partnership with YMCA of Greater Boston, the owner and operator of North Woods Camp for Boys and Pleasant Valley Camp for Girls, both in Tuftonboro, NH. Campers will attend either North Woods Camp for Boys or Pleasant Valley Camp for Girls for two weeks. They will learn outdoor skills, conquer fears, and build confidence, friendships and memories that leave a lasting imprint. Camp allows all kids to just be kids and provides a life-changing experience. Thank you to all those that supported this program!     FAQS ABOUT LRCD - OUR DEVELOPMENT PROCESS Before you see a completed project, a long list of things has happened. Some of those things are:
Once funding is secured, another 6-8 months and $100,000 to $150,000 more to get to closing and start construction. After approximately 28 months and $200,000+ construction is able to begin. You Can Help Us Address the Housing Crisis As you know, the housing crisis is getting much worse here in the Lakes Region. Your contribution today will help us create new homes for the essential workers who are so critical to economic development in our region. Over the past five years, median rents in the Lakes Region have increased 22%. According to NH Housing’s 2021 Rental Cost Survey Report, the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Belknap County is now $1,215! New units that came online in downtown Laconia this year are renting for $1,800 per month. Most essential workers in the Lakes Region cannot afford this. Housing is the most expensive part of almost every family’s budget, especially renter households. In New Hampshire, 25% of renter households are extremely low-income, which for a four-person household is less than $29,000 per year. Of those extremely low-income renter households, 75% are spending more than half of their monthly income on rent! A quarter of these rent cost-burdened households are working families, another 42% are seniors. You have the power to change this by investing in our work today. To support our work, please send in your check today or click the Donate button below. There is so much work to be done to ensure that everyone in the Lakes Region lives in a healthy home and is empowered to succeed. Your support makes it possible for us to continue pursuing this big goal. Thank you! Belknap Landscape Co. Supports Gale School Redevelopment  Belknap Landscape Company purchased $20,000 in New Hampshire business tax credits to support 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. “We are happy to lend our support to the Gale School Project,” said Hayden McLaughlin, Principal of Belknap Landscape Company. “It will be exciting to see the building brought back to life and serving kids and families again. What a great asset this will be to the community.” “We are so grateful to Belknap Landscape Company for their support,” said Carmen Lorentz, Executive Director of Lakes Region Community Developers (LRCD), the developer of the project. “We can’t do this project without the support of our local business community.” Help to Provide Child Care & Family Supports The Boys and Girls Clubs of Central NH is looking forward to expanding its much-needed child care services to its soon-to-be second Belmont, NH home at the historic Gale School. In this video, Chris Emond, Chief Executive Officer discusses the Gale School Redevelopment Project and how it’s going to benefit the community. Lakes Region Community Services (LRCS) will be one of two tenants occupying the historic Gale School in Belmont, NH once renovations are complete. Here’s LRCS President & CEO, Rebecca Bryant to discuss LRCS and why the Gale School is the right choice for them to expand their family support services to the Belmont community. 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! Community Building - Pumpkin Carving AMES BROOK APARTMENTS, ASHLAND A little rain did not stop Ames Brook residents from having a fun afternoon carving pumpkins and spending time with neighbors. PINECREST APARTMENTS, MEREDITH The young residents of Pinecrest Apartments got their hands dirty carving pumpkins and played a games to learn what is recyclable in their community and what isn't. BATCHELDER APARTMENTS, LACONIAMore pumpkins and more fun! Race Equity Diversity Inclusion (REDI) - Native American Heritage Day  In 2008, President George W. Bush signed into law legislation to designate the Friday after Thanksgiving as Native American Heritage Day. The Native American Heritage Day Bill was supported by the National Indian Gaming Association (NIGA) and 184 federally recognized tribes, and designates the Friday after Thanksgiving, as a day to pay tribute to Native Americans for their many contributions to the United States.
The Native American Heritage Day Bill encourages Americans of all backgrounds to observe Native American Heritage Day, through appropriate ceremonies and activities. It also encourages public elementary and secondary schools to enhance student understanding of Native Americans by providing classroom instructions focusing on their history, achievements, and contributions. As part of your recognition of Native American Heritage Day check out the Native Land Map. No matter where you live in North America, someone has lived there before you. Now, there's a map to tell you who. The Native Land Map creates spaces where non-Indigenous people can be invited and challenged to learn more about the lands they inhabit, the history of those lands, and how to actively be part of a better future going forward together. Click this link to see the Native Land Map and see who lived on the land you now call home https://native-land.ca/ Also, you can follow this link https://littlefreelibrary.org/indigenous-read-in-color-recommended-reads/ to find a great list of books for all ages that explore experiences from the Indigenous/Native American community. Bank of NH Supports Gale School  Bank of New Hampshire purchased $20,000 in New Hampshire CDFA tax credits to support the redevelopment of the Gale School at 60 Concord Street in Belmont Village. The project will transform the historic schoolhouse into a community facility that will include on the first floor a new early learning center operated by the Boys & Girls Club. “Our region has an immense need for high quality child care so more people can work and our economy can continue to grow,” said Tiffany Baert, Vice President, Marketing Officer for Bank of New Hampshire. “The Gale School project is a great combination of historic preservation and economic development. We are excited to be part of it.” “We have a lot of families on our waiting list for child care,” said Chris Emond, President & CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Central New Hampshire. “The Gale School project presents a great opportunity for us to expand this critical service needed throughout the Lakes Region.” Help Save a Piece of History, Provide Child Care & Family Supports $517,000 in NH Business Tax Credits Available 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! New Study - Local Regulations Drive NH Housing Shortage  Please take some time and check out this important new study about the housing shortage in New Hampshire from The Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy. The study finds that residential building regulations, mostly at the local level, are a major cause of the state's housing shortage. Many Lakes Region towns are in the top 25 municipalities that have local conditions that make are restrictive to build new housing. Visit https://jbartlett.org/2021/10/local-building-regulations-drive-n-h-housing-shortage-bartlett-study-shows/ to read more and to find a link to the full results of the study. Money for Housing in the Build Back Better Act? Democrats in Congress continue to negotiate over what to cut from the $3.5 trillion “Build Back Better Act” in order to make it palatable to moderate Democrats in the Senate, whose support is necessary in order to get the bill approved. Reports indicate that at least $1.5 trillion must be cut from the package in order for it to garner enough support to pass in the Senate. The bill approved by House committees included $327 billion in funding for a range of affordable housing provisions, which would represent an historic investment in housing. At the moment, it is unclear how the negotiations to cut the cost of the bill will affect the funding for housing. LRCD signed on to this letter to Congress urging them to maintain key provisions of the funding. Stuart La Salle - 15 Years with LRCD  Finance Director and Asset Manager, Stuart La Salle, just reached the milestone of 15 years with the organization. Stuart has contributed so much to LRCD and it is impossible to capture it all but here are a few highlights of what Stuart has accomplished in his 15 years with the organization:
We are grateful for his long and dedicated service. Community Building - Family Fun Day During spring 2021, LRCD built a partnership with the YMCA of Greater Boston that enables LRCD kids ages 8-13 to attend their North Woods Camp for Boys or Pleasant Valley Camp for Girls in Tuftonboro at a 50% discount. In September, we co-hosted a Family Fun Day at the camps where LRCD families were able to experience the fun of camp for an afternoon. The children and their families got to tour the camps, swim, kayak, and try archery. As a result, we have 11 LRCD kids excited to go to camp in summer 2022. Campers will learn outdoor skills, conquer fears and build confidence. They will gain problem-solving skills, boost socialization skills and self-esteem while learning about environmental and personal responsibility. We expect that through their camp experience, children will feel more empowered to make positive decisions as they grow, build life-long friendships with kids from different socio-economic backgrounds, and make lasting memories. We are currently working to raise funds to cover the other 50% of their tuition, plus extra to help supply these kids of low-income with the things they need to bring to camp. To date, we have raised enough funds for four scholarships thanks to the support of Winnies Socks, Franklin Savings Bank and the Heart & Hands Thrift Shop Meredith. If you'd like to support our summer camp scholarship program please contact Caitlin Meaney at cmeaney@lrcommunitydevelopers.org or at 603.524.0747 ext. 108 Take the Wheel NH Graduate A recent graduate of the Take the Wheel NH program has been given the keys to her new car! This full-time working mom of three entered the program this May diligently working through each program step and with the financial counselor. When her car broke down in September and it was not worth fixing she was ready to purchase a more reliable and affordable car. LRCD continues to be grateful to the hard working and generous partners of this program, HOMEteamNH, Franklin Savings Bank, and Grappone Automotive Group. We are also grateful to the programs major funder, The Linden Family Foundation. Green Tip Study finds that synthetic chemical in consumer products linked to early death.
Human absorption of Phthalates has already been found to be disruptive of hormones, especially in males, and to have other negative side effects. This new study published in the peer-reviewed journal of Environmental Pollution is now linking it to premature deaths. Reducing your use and exposure to plastics that contain Phthalates can be good for your health and the health of the planet. Here are tips to reduce you and your family's exposure to Phthalates:
Wood & Clay Supports Gale School  Wood & Clay, a local company that specializes in custom home construction and renovation in the Lakes Region, purchased $50,000 in New Hampshire business tax credits to support the redevelopment of the Gale School in Belmont. The project will transform the historic schoolhouse into a community facility that will include on the second floor a new program center for Lakes Region Community Services (LRCS). Wood & Clay, based in Gilford, is owned by husband and wife team Kevin Beland and Shannon Robinson-Beland. "We hope our contribution inspires other local businesses to support this wonderful project," said Shannon Robinson-Beland. "It's exciting that LRCS will be part of the next chapter for the Gale School - what a great way to put this historic building back to good use serving local families again." "We had been thinking for a few years about opening a satellite program center," said Rebecca Bryant, President & CEO of LRCS. "The Gale School will be a great location for us - a place where we can offer our full range of programming to new families and to existing clients who will find it more convenient." Help Save a Piece of History, |
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