Housing continues to be a top issue for New Hampshire voters and candidates ahead of Tuesday’s election.
NHPR’s All Things Considered host Julia Furukawa spoke with Maria Devlin, president and CEO of Families in Transition, and Elissa Margolin, director of Housing Action NH, about the effects of the housing crisis in New Hampshire. This interview was part of NHPR's remote broadcast at the Airport Diner in Manchester ahead of Election Day.
Transcript
Julia Furukawa: Maria, Families in Transition operates two shelters in Manchester. What kinds of services do you provide and what's the demand been like in recent years?
Maria Devlin: We operate an adult shelter and a family shelter. The adult shelter serves 138 adults on a nightly basis. While somebody is staying with us, we provide three meals a day, case management services, as well as housing navigation. It's really all about stabilizing somebody and helping them get to housing [and] get to stability.
The same is true at our family shelter. We serve 11 families at a time. We currently have a waitlist of over 40 families who are looking for shelter right now, and those same services are provided. They're able to stay there anywhere from six to nine months. And while they're there, we provide stability, set them up with resources and get them into housing.
Julia Furukawa: And when it comes to getting them into housing, what are some of the barriers that folks encounter when getting into permanent housing?
Maria Devlin: There's not enough out there for our lower income neighbors and community members. The majority of the people that we work with for housing at Families in Transition are paying less than $500 in a rental payment, as well as seeking subsidy. If there's no subsidies around, and if there's not a lot of housing around, the families and individuals I work with really have a hard time being housed.
Julia Furukawa: Elissa, for years now, housing has been a top issue for many Granite Staters. We've been hearing it this voting season. Your organization has been tracking housing bills from the state legislature. Has that public sentiment, that concern about housing, translated into any meaningful statewide policy?
Elissa Margolin: Mixed results there, Julia. Maria is right. Some people describe the housing crisis as a dark game of musical chairs. We have a supply side problem [and] we don't have enough houses. So you can imagine, like in a game of musical chairs, as you pull those chairs away, do you start blaming those who can't access one for the issue? And because we have a supply shortage, it's those who have lower wages, those who are overcoming a health crisis or say, coming out of a domestic violence situation, who are going to have the hardest time accessing housing. We know that 75% of New Hampshire voters support changes in policy to deal with the [housing] crisis. The question is, will that public sentiment translate into political will that will provide meaningful policy and resources to help us get out of this crisis?
Julia Furukawa: Candidates, especially those in the gubernatorial race this year, have talked a lot about the issue of homelessness on the campaign trail. Maria, I'll turn to you. Do you feel there's been anything that's left out of the conversation when it comes to the lived experiences of the people you work with?
Maria Devlin: I think what concerns me as far as how the conversation is going is there's a lot of talk about housing out there and the need for housing. I think what is often left out is the fact that many of the folks that I work with need supportive services housing. Permanent housing is really important, but there's an operational piece to this as well and having that supportive services piece is not spoken about very much. Again, when it comes to people who are lower income, affordable homes can be up to 60% area median income. And again, the folks that I'm working with are much below that level.
Julia Furukawa: And what are those supportive services you're talking about look like?
Maria Devlin: it's really about making sure that somebody is stable in their home. It's a housing first model. It's a HUD model across the United States. It's really all about, once somebody is in a stable situation when they have a home, a place to call their own, then they're able to think about getting a job [and] maybe going into recovery. [They] and their family can start to work on benefits. Once you have an address, there's many more opportunities that can come forward for you and your family.
Julia Furukawa: And Elissa, we're just days away from electing a new governor. What could she do on a state level to address homelessness specifically?
Elissa Margolin: Quite a bit. It's been gratifying to see both candidates really talk about their housing plans in detail for the electorate. I think both are going to have to make a statement about the crisis through the budget process. 2025 is the year in the legislature where they will decide the operating budget for the next two fiscal years, and our governor has an opportunity to make a statement about policy and resources through that document. We'll see in February. But I'm confident that whoever the next governor is will make housing and dealing with the crisis a major priority of theirs.
Julia Furukawa: And do you have an idea of where that money should specifically go?
Elissa Margolin: Well it's multifaceted. Housing in some ways is simple, right? You need more. In some ways it's super complex, right? Because you have land use, water, sewer infrastructure, capital subsidy, rental subsidy and the need for services. But funding really does need to go to our affordable housing trust fund. And that's that public private partnership. So providing that incentive to developers to build more affordably. Because if we just leave the market alone, we'll see more and more luxury spots that no one can afford.
Julia Furukawa: And on a national level, what are some federal housing policies at stake that could impact housing here in New Hampshire?
Elissa Margolin: Well, a lot has to do with what we'll do with housing and urban development. [The Department of] Housing and Urban Development provides a lot of resources to the state, like New Hampshire, that relies heavily on our federal partners for those subsidies who help the folks that Maria works with regularly.
Julia Furukawa: And Maria, turning to you. There's money coming in from the federal government. There's state money [coming in]. Do you see that money going where it needs to in New Hampshire?
Maria Devlin: Well, I think New Hampshire is a unique place. We would love to think that, as a small state, we could really solve the issue of homelessness and or get as close to zero as possible. But it takes a lot of public will. And so, as Alyssa said, there's lots of people in New Hampshire who do have the will right now, and that's critically important. But we have to look at things like zoning laws in communities, and we have to look at making sure that everyone has a place to call home.
Julia Furukawa: And briefly, for the both of you. We've talked a lot about the issues with housing in New Hampshire, but what gives you hope? What's working? I'll start with you, Maria.
Maria Devlin: I can tell you, just this week, we had five adults move out of our shelter into housing, and we had two families [as well], so there's always hope. That's what we're always going to be looking for.
Elissa Margolin: Your listeners might be sick of polling, but recent polls give me hope. 75% of the New Hampshire voters say that housing is the number one issue. Over 60% want more multifamily [housing] and want it in their backyards. So more people are saying, yes in my backyard, and that's the public sentiment we need for change.
