​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.

As the year draws to a close, we’ve been reflecting on everything we were able to do this year thanks to supporters like you.
 
This year, we:

• Started construction on Bay Street Apartments in Laconia, which will offer 12 units of supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness.
• Assembled over $11 million in funding for Harriman Hill III in Wolfeboro, which will provide 30 units of affordable rental housing. We completed construction drawings and put the project out to bid. When bids came back 20% over budget, we didn’t give up. We applied for additional grant funds to close the gap. We plan to begin construction in spring 2025.
• Provided resident services to 384 residents in 320 households. Resident services helps people maintain stable housing and empowers them to pursue their goals.
• Provided eviction prevention services to 218 households. We processed 96 payments totaling $17,744 on behalf of 43 of those tenants to keep them housed. This critical work prevents homelessness in our community.

We can’t do any of this without your support. Please consider making your tax-deductible donation to LRCD by December 31st to help us make an even bigger impact on the housing crisis in the Lakes Region in 2025.

​Thank you to Sheehan Phinney (SP) for being one of our Housing Champions this year! We rely on the expertise of the Affordable Housing Group at Sheehan Phinney to structure our deals. We greatly appreciate their financial support of our mission.
 
“We are proud to support LRCD’s unwavering dedication to creating healthy homes and vibrant communities for people in the Lakes Region. Their great work is an example of what can be accomplished through hard work and commitment. Sheehan Phinney’s Affordable Housing Group is honored to be a Housing Champion.”
 
~ Ken Viscarello, Chair, Affordable Housing Group at Sheehan Phinney 

​We are so grateful to Heart & Hands Thrift Shop, a non-profit thrift shop established by three local churches in Meredith, for their $3,400 grant to furnish an entire apartment! Heart & Hands invests all profits from the thrift shop back into the community.

Construction at Bay Street continues to move ahead on schedule with completion anticipated in late March.

Pictured above: Carmen Lorentz of LRCD with Anne McDonough and Tom Witham from Heart & Hands’ Board of Directors.

​We are pleased to announce that we have been engaged as a consultant by The Home Possible Project to help them assemble the financing needed to make their vision a reality.

The Home Possible Project’s mission is to create supportive housing opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities in the Lakes Region. A site for their project was recently donated by the First United Methodist Church of Gilford.

​After Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, generous donors across the world come together to give back on Giving Tuesday. Lakes Region Community Developers is part of this global movement of generosity.
 
We need your support on Giving Tuesday to replenish our Good Neighbor Fund, which helps our residents get through tough times like when their car breaks down or they miss work because they get sick. Most folks who live in our properties do not have savings to get them through a crisis like this. But you can help!
 
Save the Date for December 3rd. Or click here make your donation early today.
 
Thank you for being a good neighbor to those in need!

We are happy to share good news on the effort to renovate this beautiful 1894 school building in Belmont to serve as an early learning center operated by the Boys & Girls Club of Central & Northern NH and a program center for Lakes Region Community Services. Unfortunately, when we put the project out to bid this summer, the bids came back significantly over budget. Over the past few months, we have worked with some of our funders on a plan to overcome this challenge.

​Part of the plan was to ask the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) to allow us to use their grant from 2020 to stabilize the building. This request was approved a few weeks ago. The stabilization work will begin in early spring.
 
The big news is that the State of New Hampshire has approved $750,000 in American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds for the project, which gets us very close to the finish line.
 
Stay tuned for more updates in the spring!

​Construction is buzzing right along on Bay Street Apartments in Laconia, which will provide 12 efficiency units of supportive housing for individuals experiencing homelessness or at-risk of homelessness. Supportive services for the tenants will be provided by Lakes Region Mental Health Center.

The framing is done and the building will be enclosed very soon, just in time for winter. We remain on track for completion in late March.
 
Thanks to the generosity of our community, we have raised enough money to fully furnish 11 of the 12 apartments!  Click here to help us furnish the last one.

​Residents at Pinecrest Apartments in Meredith organized a pumpkin carving party last month. Families gathered to celebrate fall and show off their creativity. A good time was had by all!

​November is Native American and Alaska Native Heritage Month. This celebration of Indigenous cultures began as a week-long event in 1986 under President Reagan. Every President since 1995 has issued annual proclamations designating the month of November as the time to celebrate the cultures, accomplishments, and contributions of Native American and Alaska Native communities.
 
We hope the resources below help you learn more about Indigenous culture and history, including right here in N’dakinna, the traditional ancestral homeland of the Abenaki, Pennacook and Wabanaki Peoples, past and present.

​INHCC is a grassroots movement of community members of diverse cultural backgrounds, working to re-frame New Hampshire’s heritage through a decolonial lens. Their website features some great blog posts and resources, and their YouTube channel offers locally produced documentaries about Indigenous heritage in New Hampshire and the Lakes Region.

Now Who Shall Judge the Indians?
How 500 Years of Colonization Has Impacted the Abenaki Peoples of NH and the Northeast

A livestream virtual presentation by Anne Jennison
Saturday, November 9 at 11:00 am
To register, contact the Sandown Public Library 603-887-3428

Anne Jennison is a traditional Native American storyteller and historian of European and Abenaki heritage.
​
In this presentation, Anne examines how European colonization of North America impacted generations of Abenaki/Wabanaki people. She also highlights the ways that the Abenaki/Wabanaki peoples have acted as agents of their own change through education, self-advocacy, efforts to revitalize their languages and traditional arts. Finally, she discusses how—working with archeologists, anthropologists, and scientists—they have recovered and revealed more about their history and traditional knowledge.
 
This program is offered by NH Humanities.

​Celebrate by listening to Indigenous and Native voices from across North America on PBS.
 
PBS features a wide range of programming, including documentaries on American Indian boarding schools, a series featuring Native chefs and Indigenous cuisine, and an entire library of documentaries and short films telling a variety of Native stories.

Last week’s match was quickly unlocked by three individual donors and a $3,000 contribution by Melcher & Prescott Insurance!

The Hodges Companies continues to wow us with their support of the Bay Street project. They pledged a third and final match of $3,400 to furnish yet another apartment, if we can raise $3,400 from other donors by Tuesday, October 22!
 
Your donation today will help us get to the point where we have 10 of 12 apartments furnished.
 
Our goal is to raise $45,000 by the end of the year to furnish all 12 apartments. With your support, we will be able to offer fully furnished efficiency apartments to people of very low income who are experiencing homelessness, in partnership with Lakes Region Mental Health Center.
 
This project is a critical step in addressing the homelessness crisis. Please help us in this effort by making a donation today. Thank you!

Rev. John Eaton “For years I saw the need and said to myself that if I had the resources I would construct a building with 8-12 supported efficiency apartments for those in need. When I learned LRCD was doing just that, I jumped at the opportunity to contribute to the project.” Rev. John Eaton

In addition to his generous pledge to furnish an entire apartment, John has also purchased 12 small lamps for the bedside tables, a set of sheets for each apartment, and some artwork and greenery for common areas in the building.

John is very keen to make Bay Street Apartments a welcoming and comfortable home for people who have experienced homelessness.

In fact, this entire fundraising campaign was John’s idea! He read about the project in the paper and reached out to us to offer support.
 
Thank you, John, for your kindness and generosity!

Pictured above are Carmen Lorentz of LRCD and Rev. John Eaton of Meredith

​Meredith Village Savings Bank

Pictured above are Carmen Lorentz and Lori Borrin, Vice President & Mortgage Loan Officer at MVSB
 
MVSB was the first local business to answer the call for support, and they generously pledged to sponsor an entire apartment. MVSB has enthusiastically supported many of LRCD’s projects over the years, and has provided strong leadership on our Board of Directors throughout our 30-year history. MVSB is an outstanding community bank that cares deeply about the communities they serve. Thank you, MVSB!

​Resilient Buildings Group

​Pictured above, Chase Pennoyer, President of Resilient Buildings Group (RBG); Tori Gerlt, Director of the Energy Solutions Implementation Team at RBG; and Carmen Lorentz of LRCD.
 
Resilient Buildings Group (RBG) generously sponsored furniture for one of the living spaces in an apartment, which includes a table & two chairs, loveseat, coffee table, and TV with wall mount.
 
RBG also provided consulting services during the design phase for this project, enabling us to make the building 100% electric and to access energy incentives to help pay for construction. After construction, our goal is to apply for additional funding to add roof-mounted solar to the project. We love using renewables wherever possible to reduce LRCD’s carbon footprint. We rely on RBG to help us pursue this goal. Thank you to the entire RBG team for all you do!

​Things are moving right along at Bay Street Apartments. The concrete slab is cured, a new six-inch sewer line has been constructed, and the driveway and parking area are paved. After a lot of site work, the building will finally start to go vertical in the coming days!

​Have you ever been in a conversation about the housing crisis and wished you had some data? If so, here are two great resources for you:
 
Lakes Region Housing Needs Assessment
Published October 2023 by the Lakes Region Planning Commission
 
This study estimates that the Lakes Region needs 7,440 additional units of housing by 2040, and that 3,160 of those units need to be affordable for essential workers and seniors with low fixed incomes.
 
2023 Statewide Housing Needs Assessment
Published March 2023 by New Hampshire Housing
 
This study estimates that New Hampshire needs 90,000 additional units of housing by 2040 to achieve a more balanced housing market where people can find housing they can afford within a reasonable amount of time.