Latest News - February 2022

FACES OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING

LRCD is featuring residents who live in our affordable housing throughout the year. 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. 

Erica, a hard-working mother of two, who grew up in the Lakes Region town of Gilmanton, NH is our first feature. To read the rest of Erica's story click here.

LRCD WELCOMES LEIGH WILLEY, ESQ. TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

“We are delighted to welcome Leigh to the LRCD family,” said Chris Dickinson, Chair of LRCD’s Board of Directors. “Her background is a great fit for our board. I am confident she will contribute a great deal to the organization.”
 
Ms. Willey has 20 years of legal experience with a broad and varied legal background. She currently serves as New Hampshire Underwriting Counsel for CATIC, which provides professional services to its policy-issuing attorneys, insured lenders and home-buyers, and other members of the real estate community.
 
“The housing crisis has reached a critical point here in the Lakes Region,” said Leigh Willey. “I look forward to helping LRCD address this challenge.”

Prior to joining CATIC, Ms. Willey was a founding member of Boutin Law, PLLC, where she focused on real estate closings, general litigation, corporate law, and related legal matters. She previously served as a senior associate in the Litigation Department at Devine, Millimet & Branch, PA. During law school, she served as a clerk for the Honorable Joseph P. Nadeau on the New Hampshire Supreme Court.
 
Ms. Willey earned her Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Plymouth State University and her Juris Doctor and Master of Law in Intellectual Property from the University of New Hampshire School of Law (formerly Franklin Pierce Law Center).
 
Ms. Willey has served on the Lakes Region Board of Realtors as a Legislative Committee Member and she served as Co-President of the Board of Directors of Dress for Success – New Hampshire. She is also a graduate of Leadership Lakes Region, Class of 2013.

LRCD JOINS THE ECONOMIC MOBILITY EXCHANGE

In January, LRCD joined the Economic Mobility Exchange, a global anti-poverty network of 70+ non-profits, foundations, academic institutions, human service providers, and government agencies. Exchange members advance a groundbreaking approach to combat poverty, which has a proven track record of helping people of low income achieve economic independence.
 
As part of the Exchange, LRCD is working with Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath) to implement a Mobility Mentoring®-informed approach to support LRCD tenants.
 
Mobility Mentoring helps people of low income focus on, and achieve, future-oriented goals. It works by pairing them with trained mentors—who use a coaching method informed by the latest brain science—to set, reach, and sustain long-term goals. Mobility Mentoring has received national recognition for helping families of low income make big gains in education, employment, and personal finance.
 
Mobility Mentoring was developed by EMPath, which started using it in 2009. EMPath has seen remarkable results since, especially by graduates of its flagship five-year program. The percent of participants with college degrees has gone from 38% to 74%; and the percent of participants who are employed has gone from 65% to 97%.

HARRIMAN HILL HOMES UPDATE

LRCD continues to work on our first affordable homeownership project, Harriman Hill Homes, in Wolfeboro. We are grateful to New Hampshire Housing for a $1 million allocation for infrastructure costs. Bids for the work are due at the end of this month, which will determine if enough funds have been raised to move forward with the project. For information on Harriman Hill Homes click here to visit our website.

DENTAL ACCESS FOR LOW-INCOME ADULTS

Currently, New Hampshire is one of only 10 states where Medicaid covers only emergency care like tooth extractions. Efforts to give the 80,000 New Hampshire adults on Medicaid preventative dental benefits has again gained momentum in the Legislature.

On February 3, 2022, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee unanimously passed Senate Bill 422, which would provide adults on Medicaid coverage for routine dental care such as x-rays, flouride, cleanings, and oral surgery that would help prevent more serious health conditions. 
LRCD'S Adult Dental Program has been working to fill the gap of adult dental care needs for our residents. LRCD has provided 27 dental grants to residents since the programs inception in October 2020. Grants to residents have been for fillings, crowns, root canals, extractions, dentures, x-rays, cleanings, and more.

LRCD’s Dental Assistance Program provides tenants with guidance in finding dental providers and matching grants of up to $1,000 to cover half the cost of services. The average grant is $420.

LRCD is hopeful that efforts to include adult dental care as a Medicaid benefit will be successful this session. Until then, we will continue to assist residents in accessing the care they need. We are grateful to the dental program funders who make this assistance possible, NeighborWorks America, Northeast Delta Dental Foundation, and Speare Memorial Hospital.

RACE EQUITY DIVERSITY INCLUSION (REDI) - BLACK HISTORY MONTH

In 2020, LRCD began the process of reviewing our policies, practices, and programs to identify changes that we can make to combat systemic racism and promote race equity, diversity, and inclusion. This is an ongoing process of continuous learning and improvement. In this segment of our newsletter, we will provide regular updates on this work.

This month as part of our race equity, diversity and inclusion (REDI) work we will honor Black History Month. At LRCD, we recognize Black History Month as one opportunity to celebrate the contributions and accomplishments of Black people in our country and in our communities.
 
While there are numerous resources that are well worth noting, we’d like to share the history of Black History Month. Please visit this wonderful article from Learning for Justice to learn about the origins and significant figures who helped create this national time of recognition:
 
https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/the-history-behind-black-history-month
 
Also, check out these tips for how to talk to your child about Black History Month:
https://mamaknowsitall.com/how-to-talk-to-your-child-about-black-history-month-a-script/