HB530

This country was built on immigrants, shame on you for this

Anyway that we can increase funding to affordable housing is a win/win for our state.

The passage of HB530 will improve our community.

As the number of housing-related bills this session indicate, both Republicans and Democrats agree that the shortage of affordable housing options in New Hampshire is a serious threat to the economic vitality of the State. Developing affordable housing involves a complex cobbling together of funding sources, both private and public. New Hampshire Housing steps in for gap funding that often makes the difference as to whether a development is viable or not. The private market won't readily produce affordable housing due to low profit margins, so it is in the State's best interest to be an investor in affordable housing through the Affordable Housing Fund. As building supplies, labor and land costs continue to rise, the gap between subsidy sources and the cost to build widens. The Affordable Housing Fund needs an infusion of new funds to ensure more New Hampshire citizens can access housing they can afford while contributing to our economy in important roles in health care, the service industry, public service and education.

Good morning, Members of the House Ways and Means Committee. My name is Viola Katusiime; I'm the Deputy Director of the Granite State Organizing Project. The Granite State Organizing Project (GSOP) is a grassroots, non-partisan institution bringing faith, labor, and community groups to work towards a more just world.   I am writing to express our support for HB530, increasing the amount of revenue transferred from the real estate transfer tax to the affordable housing fund. According to the analysis by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, New Hampshire is short of 21,327 rental homes available to extremely low-income individuals. $35,250. A 4-person income limit for extremely low-income households stands at $ 35,250. The Granite State is home to 34,277 extremely low-income households, meaning they spend more than half of their income on rent. HB 530 is a step in the right direction, beginning to address the lack of adequate funding needed to address the shortage of housing affordable to low-income individuals, many of whom are disabled, single-family households, and seniors. Thank you for your serious consideration of HB 530. Sincerely, Viola Katusiime

We need all possible resources to support affordable housing!

I am a single parent serving on the Board and as Housing Committee Chair for the non-profit Our Place NH, whose mission is to provide residential options, services and support designed to meet the needs of adults with developmental disabilities. We are dedicated to fostering growth and independence through vocational, social, and recreational opportunities. I personally have a passionate interest in finding housing solutions for adults with developmental disabilities. Two of my three adult children have a diagnosis of Down syndrome and live at home with me. Their Dad passed away from cancer seven years ago, which left me a single parent trying to meet the needs of two adults with very active lives. Both of them work, participate in Special Olympics, and attend a variety of social activities within the community on a weekly basis. Neither of them drive and they both require a certain level of support with daily life skills. It is a full-time job to support them in keeping their job, maintaining their friendships and social life, and ensuring they live fully and inclusively within the community they grew up in. This also ensures they also don’t live a life of loneliness and isolation or without purpose. I alone cannot sustain this level of support for them long-term as I age. Knowing that they could be part of a supported community with their peers gives me hope and a sense of security for their future. Making a priority of individuals with IDD, and their desire to fully participate and live as independently as possible within their communities, will also build better and more inclusive communities. We desperately need models for housing to help these adults with IDD reach this goal and achieve their full potential. It is imperative that future planning for housing, across the State of NH, addresses this critical need for supportive housing solutions for some of our most vulnerable population. Please support HB530, as this bill will increase the amount of revenue transferred from the real estate transfer tax to the affordable housing fund, therefore providing more funding for critically needed affordable housing in our State. Thank you for reading and your time and consideration. Kindly, Peggy Mace 93 Glen Hill Road Dover, NH peggy.mace@comcast.net

I support this bill to increase the amount of revenue transferred from the real estate transfer tax to the affordable housing fund.

Affordable Housing is such a crisis in New Hampshire that worsens other social problems. The bill does not increase the amount of real estate transfer tax but rather reallocates $5 million dollars to help increase affordable housing. Increasing affordable housing may ultimately do more for New Hampshire than the loss of income to the general fund or education fund.

Great need for more housing

Affordable housing is one of the biggest barriers to folks moving to NH