​Are you concerned about the crisis of homelessness?

You can make a difference by contributing to our fundraising campaign to furnish Bay Street Apartments in Laconia. This property will provide 12 efficiency apartments for people of very low income who are experiencing homelessness. The project is currently under construction with completion scheduled for March 2025. To set the future tenants up for success, we want to provide durable furnishings for all 12 apartments.

We seek business sponsors and individual donors. Click below to see the sponsorship levels or to make your donation today. Thank you!

​Congressman Chris Pappas recently stopped by our office to learn about our Bay Street Apartments project and discuss the importance of supportive housing in addressing the crisis of unsheltered homelessness in the Lakes Region.
​
Thank you to the team at Lakes Region Mental Health Center (LRMHC) our supportive services partner in the Bay Street project, for your advocacy on housing needs for the people you serve.

Pictured left in front of the Bay Street site: Beth Vachon, LRMHC; Carmen Lorentz, LRCD; Congressman Pappas; Christine Alvarez, LRMHC; and Senia LaForte, LRMHC.

Site work is wrapping up on Bay Street, and the crew is readying to pour the concrete slab this week. Construction is on schedule so far, with completion planned for late March 2025.

Thanks to our design and construction team, including Northpoint Engineering, Stewart Associates Architects, and Bauen Corporation. We encountered a couple unforeseen challenges during the site work phase, but the team handled them expertly.
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We are happy to be up out of the ground now!

​We are gearing up to make approximately $700,000 in improvements at Millview Apartments in Laconia. This project was built in 2003 and contains 18 apartments in five buildings on Union Avenue and up above on Locust and Jameson Streets.

​After over 20 years, the property is in need of upgrades, including new siding, new roofs, new boilers, and landscaping. We will also install rooftop solar arrays on the three south-facing buildings.

Funding for these improvements is provided by a Community Development Block Grant from NH Community Development Finance Authority and a grant from the Renewable Energy Fund at the NH Department of Energy.

Laconia Multicultural Festival
​A Celebration of Music, Arts, Crafts, and Cuisine in Downtown Laconia
 
Saturday, September 7th
10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Rotary Park and City Hall
45 Beacon St East, Laconia
 
This free, family-friendly event highlights the music, arts, crafts and cuisine of Laconia’s diverse community, from its earliest days to recently-arrived New Americans. The Festival was conceived and is supported by the Laconia Human Relations Committee, as well as many local businesses and individual sponsors.
 
Click here for more information.

​Concord Multicultural Festival
​Sunday, September 22nd
11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Keach Park, Concord
 
The Concord Multicultural Festival is a vibrant event that celebrates the rich diversity of the City of Concord. The mission of the Festival is to promote cultural understanding and appreciation through a variety of art demonstrations, music and dance performances, and more.
 
Each year, the Festival features a full lineup of performances, food vendors, craft vendors, artists, activities, and parade of flags that represent more than 70 cultures from around the world, presented by folks who live and work locally.
 
Visit their website for more information.

​Recovery Month was started in September of 1989 to celebrate the recovery community and to highlight the importance of evidence-based treatment and recovery practices.
 
Recovery Month celebrates the gains made by those in recovery to reinforce the positive message that behavioral health is essential to overall health, prevention works, treatment is effective, and people can and do recover.
 
There are millions of Americans whose lives have been transformed through recovery. Recovery Month provides a vehicle for everyone to celebrate these accomplishments together.

​Navigating Recovery of the Lakes Region, based in Laconia, is a grassroots collaborative organization creating a supportive and recovery-informed community for those affected by Substance Use Disorder.
 
Their recovery center is focused on providing an open door for people seeking and/or embracing recovery as they begin and maintain a path for a productive life free from the harmful impacts of alcohol or other drugs.
 
Navigating Recovery offers FREE Recovery Support Services:

• One on one and telephone coaching / mentorship for people in ALL stages of recovery
• Helping you find detox/rehab/treatment
• Linking you to other community resources, such as Intensive Outpatient Programs and Medication Assisted Treatment
• Host location for meetings and other programs
• Parenting Journey in Recovery
• Resources and support for family & friends

8th Annual International Overdose Awareness Day Vigil
Saturday, August 31st
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Rotary Park, 30 Beacon St East, Laconia
 
Join Navigating Recovery in their International Overdose Awareness Day campaign to remember those who have passed on due to an overdose, to acknowledge those who are left behind after a loss, and, most importantly, to end overdose.
 
Would you like to display a photo of a loved one at the vigil?
Stop by Navigating Recovery at 102 Court St during normal business hours to drop off your photo.
 
Would you like them to read off the name of a loved one at the vigil?
Email [email protected], or you can sign up when you arrive at the vigil.
 
Support the campaign by purchasing a t-shirt, tank, or hoodie.

​White Horse Recovery is a non-profit behavioral health center with locations in Ossipee, North Conway, and Littleton NH. They offer comprehensive secular and faith-based substance use disorder programs and mental health services for adults and families. They also offer ongoing recovery support programs to help adults through their recovery process. White Horse Recovery is based on Christian principles; they welcome everyone regardless of faith. White Horse meets everyone where they are along their journey, working with each individual to develop the most appropriate treatment program.

​Bridge to Recovery Walk 
Sunday, September 22, 2024
8:30 am registration, 9:00 am walk begins
15 Aiken Ave, Franklin
 
This is a two-mile walk that begins and ends at Concord Hospital-Franklin.
 
$30 registration fee (youth 14 and under are free). Proceeds benefit mental health and substance use disorder programs and services in Laconia and Franklin.
 
Click here to register.

Left to right: Dean Donati, Deputy Director of Laconia Housing; Carmen Lorentz of LRCD; Cathy Bowler, Executive Director of Laconia Housing

Thank You Laconia Housing! We appreciate your support. 

We need the financial support of our local business community in order to produce more units of affordable housing for essential workers. Most housing developments that we undertake cost us $300,000 before we can get a shovel in the ground.

Email [email protected] today if your business would like to be a Housing Champion or Advocate.

Stay tuned next month as we launch a fundraising campaign to furnish Bay Street Apartments. This 12-unit supportive housing project will have a preference for individuals experiencing homelessness. We want to give each tenant the best chance at success by furnishing the units with sturdy, durable items. We also want to provide bike racks and furniture on the side porch and in the back yard.

Thank you to Bank of New Hampshire for donating some of their lightly used office furniture for the tenant lounge at Bay Street. This gives us a good head start on furnishing the building!

If you are interested in supporting this effort, please reach out to Carmen Lorentz at [email protected] and stay tuned for more details in September!

​We are unlikely to be able to begin construction on our 30-unit general occupancy project in Wolfeboro this year. We put the project out to bid in May. The bids came back higher than we budgeted, which is happening with a lot of new construction projects these days. We are doing some value engineering to reduce the costs, and we are seeking additional funding from NH Housing and Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston. It will take a few months to secure additional funds. Our hope is that construction will begin in spring 2025.
 
We greatly appreciate our longstanding partnership with Eastern Lakes Region Housing Coalition and the Town of Wolfeboro, as well as the support of NH Housing, NH Community Development Finance Authority, Evernorth, and MVSB.

​Residents at Harriman Hill Phases 1 & 2 in Wolfeboro hosted an ice cream social for the kids at their bus stop to celebrate their last day of school. This is just one of the great projects that the Harriman Hill Resident Council has worked on together this year. Great community spirit over there in Wolfeboro!

​Thank you to all the residents who made this happen - what a great way for the kids to start out their summer!

​The community garden at Pinecrest Apartments in Meredith, NH was built back in 2017 and it was in need of an overhaul.

Tenants worked together earlier this summer to construct sturdier new beds and fill them up with garden soil. We can't wait to see the harvest from this dedicated group of volunteers!

​The two structures on the site of the future Bay Street Apartments in Laconia have been demolished. Site work is underway to improve drainage and ready the site for construction of the 12-unit building. Construction is scheduled to take nine months.

Bay Street Apartments will offer 12 efficiency units of supportive housing in partnership with Lakes Region Mental Health Center.

Thank you to the NH Department of Business & Economic Affairs for awarding Invest NH demolition funds to the City of Laconia for this project. We greatly appreciate the City's support in cleaning up this site to make way for new affordable housing.

​A phenomenal group of resident volunteers in our adjacent Avery Hill and Millview developments (up near the hospital in Laconia) worked together this spring to build a community garden in their neighborhood. The garden features two 4x8 foot beds on the ground and one elevated accessible bed.

The group is doing an awesome job tending the garden - just look at those veggies growing!

​We wanted to take a moment to recognize Caitlin Meaney, who reached her 10-year anniversary with LRCD on June 19.

Caitlin started out doing fundraising and grant writing at LRCD. Over the past two years, she has transitioned into asset management. She now serves as LRCD's Asset Management Director and is responsible for stewarding our real estate portfolio into the future.

We are grateful for Caitlin's energy, compassion, and her commitment to LRCD's mission. Thank you for all you do, Caitlin!

By respecting and appreciating the diversity within our LRCD communities, we can empower everyone to live their best life and promote equity and justice for all of our residents. We hope you enjoy these resources and events that help you learn about and celebrate the beauty in our differences, while acknowledging our shared humanity.

Disability Pride Month is a time to celebrate the work of disability rights organizers, elevate disabled voices, and reflect on the work that remains to break down barriers to full inclusion. We celebrate during the month of July to honor the anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, 1990.




​What is the meaning of the disability pride flag? 
In an interview with The Accessible Stall podcast, writer Ann Magill, creator of the disability pride flag (in collaboration with other members of the disability community), shared what the colors on the disability flag represent.

• The faded black background represents "the anger and mourning over the eugenics and the neglect that disabled people have to fight against."
• Red represents physical disabilities.
• Gold is for neurodiversity.
• White represents invisible disabilities and disabilities that haven't yet been diagnosed.
• Blue stands for emotional and psychiatric disabilities, including mental illness, anxiety, and depression.
• Green is for sensory disabilities, including deafness, blindness, lack of smell, lack of taste, audio processing disorder, and all other sensory disabilities.

​Disability Pride Reading Lists 
Disability Pride Reading List | Powell's Books (powells.com) 

Disability Pride Month: Recommended Reading | NC State University Libraries (ncsu.edu)
 
Podcasts Featuring Disabled Voices 
Secret Lives of the Disabled | Podcast on Spotify
 
Performance Artist Sally Greenhouse survived a catastrophic car accident that left her with a broken neck and spinal cord injury.  "Secret Lives of the Disabled" is a podcast that has as its focus individuals who become disabled in America due to accidents, chronic illnesses and debilitating pain often plunging them into poverty, housing insecurity and extreme isolation while rendering them as expendable Americans.  This podcast features guests from every profession addressing the consequences faced by formerly able bodied people, in mutually interactive conversations with Greenhouse, that include her chronicle of how she survives physical disability.
 
Easterseals | Everything You Know About Disability Is Wrong Podcast
 
Everything You Know About Disability is Wrong is a podcast for the disability community by the disability community, hosted by two disabled women. But if you're not disabled, listen in to learn about real issues, celebrations, and conversations disabled people are having in their communities.
 
Home - The Accessible Stall
 
The Accessible Stall is a disability podcast hosted by Kyle Khachadurian and Emily Ladau that keeps it real about issues within the disability community. Because they each have different disabilities and mobility levels, they approach their topics with two unique viewpoints, offering listeners a fresh insight into how differences in disability can color your experiences and perspectives. And they never shy away from offering their honest opinions, even if they go against the grain of the disability community at large.

​The Linden Foundation recently made a grant to Lakes Region Community Developers (LRCD) to establish a dedicated pre-development fund at LRCD, which will be used to pay for expenses necessary to get affordable housing developments permitted and funded. The grant will enable LRCD to expand its pipeline of housing developments to better meet the significant need for affordable housing in the Lakes Region.
 
“It typically costs us $300,000 to get that shovel in the ground and start construction on one housing development,” said Carmen Lorentz, LRCD Executive Director. “We only have so much capital on reserve, so it’s been a big constraint on production. These funds will enable us to be working on more projects at the same time, so we can increase our rate of production of affordable housing.”
 
Typical pre-development expenses include deposits to secure purchase agreements on sites, as well as professional services, including architectural, engineering, environmental, legal, and financial services.
 
“The Linden Foundation was looking for ways to make a bigger impact on the housing crisis that is affecting so many families,” said Chaletta Huertas, Grants Advisor to the Linden Foundation. “We are pleased to make this significant investment in LRCD’s efforts to develop more affordable housing.”

​Thank you so much to Wood & Clay and Quality Insulation for buying the last of our Gale School tax credits right at the May 17 deadline! Wood & Clay has generously supported this project with tax credit purchases in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.

Thanks to the generosity of local companies like these, we were successful in selling $1,000,000 in NH tax credits to help pay for the $4 million renovation of the 1894 Gale School building in Belmont. When renovations are complete, the building will house a child care center on the first floor operated by Lakes Region Child Care Services / Boys & Girls Club and a program center for Lakes Region Community Services on the second floor.

These tax credits were awarded to us by the NH Community Development Finance Authority, which supports community and economic development projects across New Hampshire.

​Pictured above from left to right: Shannon Robinson-Beland, co-owner of Wood & Clay; Duncan Simons, Meredith branch manager at Quality Insulation; and Robert Perras also of Quality Insulation.

Carmen Lorentz accepts a check from Kat Johnson and Reuben Bassett of Keller Williams Coastal and Lakes & Mountains.
 
“As commercial real estate agents, business owners, and community members, we understand the complex need for affordable housing in our communities,” said Reuben Bassett. “As we continue to see the challenges facing our cities and towns as a result of the lack of affordable housing, it's an easy choice to support an organization like LRCD that is pursuing solutions to help address these issues.”

Thank You Keller Williams! We are so grateful for your support. 

We need the financial support of our local business community in order to produce more units of affordable housing for essential workers. Most housing developments that we undertake cost us $300,000 before we can get a shovel in the ground.

Email [email protected] today if your business would like to be a Housing Champion or Advocate.

​Don't forget! We have been chosen to participate in a special charitable giving campaign, sponsored and funded by Target. And you have the chance to help direct a portion of Target’s donation to us!  

​Now through June 30th, vote for us through the Target Circle program to help determine how Target’s donation will be divvied up. To vote for us, click HERE. 

We’re asking our supporters to help us make the most of this incredible opportunity. Every vote counts to help us receive a portion of the available Target funds as we continue our mission to create opportunities for the Lakes Region to thrive by developing healthy homes, creating vibrant community assets, and engaging residents.

Thank you for your support! 

​Thank you to everyone who supported us during last week's NH Gives fundraising campaign. We are thrilled to share that we raised $7,700! These funds will be a big help as we continue to do our part to prevent homelessness. 

​During NeighborWorks Week (June 1-8), we celebrated all the great projects LRCD residents worked on together this spring to improve their neighborhoods, including neighborhood clean-up days and lots of community gardens!

​Loving Day commemorates the anniversary of the Supreme Court Case, Loving v. Virginia, which struck down state laws banning interracial marriage. The “Loving” in Loving Day is the last name of Mildred and Richard Loving, who were arrested in 1958 because they were an interracial couple in Virginia. They sued the State of Virginia, and their case made it all the way to the Supreme Court.
 
The Lovings won their case on June 12, 1967. It was more than a victory for their family. It struck down all state laws against interracial marriage in the U.S.
 
People around the world observe Loving Day every year on June 12th in meaningful and personal ways. It can be especially significant for interracial couples, multiracial families, mixed race and transracially adopted people, and those with similar lived experience.
 
One easy way to celebrate your family is to share photos and stories on social media with the hashtag #LovingDay. You can find more information and ways to celebrate at www.lovingday.org.
 
Raising Multiracial Children
 
This two-part YouTube series, “Raising Multiracial Children,” by EmbraceRace explores the complexities of multiracial identity, discusses the pivotal role families play in shaping how multiracial children come to understand themselves and the world around them, and talks about concrete steps that parents and caregivers can take to build resilience as a multiracial family.

The Emancipation Proclamation took effect during the Civil War, on January 1, 1863. The Proclamation declared all enslaved people in the Confederate States as legally free. However, the Proclamation could not be implemented in places still under Confederate control. As a result, in the westernmost Confederate state of Texas, enslaved people would not be free until June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. This day came to be known as "Juneteenth” by the newly freed people in Texas.
 
Although Juneteenth has long been celebrated in the African American community, this monumental event is just now starting to be recognized by everyone in the U.S. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021.
​
Here in New Hampshire, you can join the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire in celebrating Juneteenth with their event series including an artist reception on June 7, a panel discussion of Black masculinity on June 13, and on June 19 a live concert, African drumming, and more.

Did you know? The first Pride march took place in New York City on June 28, 1970, to commemorate the Stonewall riots that began a year earlier when police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in lower Manhattan. Although not the first protests for LGBTQ+ civil rights, the Stonewall riots propelled the movement onto the national and global stage.
​
In the U.S., June was first officially declared Pride Month by the federal government in 1999. Today, Pride celebrations, parades, vigils, picnics, and marches take place all over the US during the month of June to remember and celebrate hard-won civil rights for LGBTQ+ people.

New Hampshire’s Pride offerings have grown considerably in recent years. Here is a list of events that we compiled in case you’d like to join in the celebrations!

Windham Pride Festival
Sunday, June 9
Noon to 4PM
Windham High School
 
Manchester Pride
Saturday, June 15
Parade down Elm St 11:15 AM
Festival @ Veteran’s Park noon to 4PM
 
Portsmouth Pride
Saturday, June 22
Parade at noon @ Market Square
Festival 1PM to 4PM @ Strawberry Banke
Other events all weekend
 
White Mountains Pride
Saturday, June 29
10AM to 4PM
North Conway Community Center
 
Concord Arts in the Park – Celebrating Pride
Saturday, July 13
10AM to 3PM
Rollins Park, Concord NH
 
Neuroqueer & Disabled Queer Pride Fest
Saturday, July 13
Time TBA
Henry Law Park, Dover
On Instagram @neuroqueer_nh​

​Bay Street Apartments in Laconia: We are happy to announce that Bauen Corporation of Meredith was selected to be the construction manager for this project containing 12 efficiency units of supportive housing, in partnership with Lakes Region Mental Health Center. Groundbreaking is planned for June.

​Harriman Hill III in Wolfeboro: This 30-unit general occupancy project is scheduled to go out to bid later this month, with a closing and groundbreaking planned for July. The project will include a mix of unit sizes, including five one-bedroom units of supportive housing in partnership with Northern Human Services.

​We continue making progress on our financing structure for this $4 million rehabilitation of the historic Gale School in Belmont, including selling the supplemental NH tax credits awarded to the project in December.

Thank you to the NH tax credit donors featured here! Once renovated, the Gale School will be home to an early learning center operated by the Boys & Girls Club of Central and Northern NH and a new program center for Lakes Region Community Services.

Northway Bank recently purchased $25,000 in NH tax credits to support redevelopment of the Gale School. Pictured above are Chris Dickinson, Senior Vice President, Chief Commercial Banking Officer, and Carmen Lorentz, LRCD Executive Director.

Thank you to MVSB for also purchasing $25,000 in Gale School tax credits! Pictured above from left to right: Jason Hicks, EVP Chief Financial Officer, Cindy Hemeon-Plessner, SVP Chief Marketing & Experience Officer, Lori Borrin, VP Mortgage Loan Officer, Marcus Weeks, MVSB President, and Carmen Lorentz.

Help us prevent homelessness! We are once again participating in NH Gives coming up June 11-12, and we would appreciate your support. Mark your calendar for June 11 at 5pm when the 24 hour window to make your donation opens. Visit our fundraising page HERE to learn more about what, or more importantly, who we're working for. 

​Don't want to wait to support us? We welcome donations year round! Head to our donate page for more.  

Thank you to these awesome match sponsors for our NH Gives campaign!

Friendly reminder! We have been chosen to participate in a special charitable giving campaign, sponsored and funded by Target. And you have the chance to help direct a portion of Target’s donation to us!  

Now through June 30th, vote for us through the Target Circle program to help determine how Target’s donation will be divvied up. Find out more about Target Circle HERE. 

We’re asking our supporters to help us make the most of this incredible opportunity. Every vote counts to help us receive a portion of the available Target funds as we continue our mission to create opportunities for the Lakes Region to thrive by developing healthy homes, creating vibrant community assets, and engaging residents.

Don’t forget, as you earn more votes, you can keep voting multiple times during the campaign!

Thank you for your support, and we encourage you to share your support for us (and your thanks to Target) on social media throughout the duration of the voting!