Essay: How lack of affordable housing impacts our communities of color
We know that we have a housing and homelessness problem in New Hampshire. If you didn’t know this, my questions to you is, what rock have you been hiding under? I mention the two because they are connected.
This is not a new problem. New Hampshire had significant growth in new housing creation in the 1970s through the 1990s as more people moved to the Granite State for work, less taxes and quality of life. According to New Hampshire Housing’s 2023 Statewide Housing Needs Assessment, in those 20 years, the state saw net in-migration of over 500,000.
Since 1990, there has been a long decline in population growth. Between 2010 and 2020 net in-migration was just over 60,000. This decline in population growth explains the continued decrease of housing development over time.
However, the housing picture is very complex. In recent years, in addition to the slowdown in housing creation because of demographic shifts, New Hampshire Housing reports that 8,400 potential rental units have been taken out of rental circulation and reserved for vacation/seasonal use. Another 2,000 units have simply vanished.
In addition, the pandemic saw many out-of-staters move to New Hampshire and purchase single-family units and condos at premium prices. Those who could not purchase units rented them and pushed rents beyond what many lower- and middle-class New Hampshirites could afford.
Finally, inflation has stagnated the housing market, and more people in the higher income brackets are opting to rent, putting more pressure on the rental market, which continues to drive up prices. All this pressure has caused vacancy rates to dip to 0.5% or lower statewide and caused rents to surge to $1,600, or more for a two-bedroom apartment. That means a person would have to earn minimally $30 per hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment.
All this is to say that “Houston, we have a problem.” New Hampshire Housing’s report states that it has about 2,000 multifamily units under construction or renovation. Far short of the 23,500 rental and single-family units we need now. The nonprofit says we will need a total of 60,000 units between 2020-2030 and another 30,000 units between 2030-2040 to meet demographic changes.
As executive director of Cross Roads House, the second largest homeless shelter in the state, I see the impact this has on regular people every day. I hear the horror stories almost daily. People who have worked all their lives are now finding themselves homeless for the first time. We are seeing a trend in people over 50, some with underlying health issues and most on limited incomes, lose their rental units because their rents have increased beyond their ability to pay.
Younger working families and individuals are also being impacted. A number of them work, and even though they may earn enough to be classified as middle class, they still do not earn enough to afford their own place. What’s wrong with that picture? Has it really come to this, America? Maybe there was never an American dream, but it would not be a stretch to think that if you work hard, regardless of what you bring home, you should be able to afford to put a roof over your head and your family’s heads.
Folks, it is not good when we have working people that are homeless because they can’t afford to rent a place they can call home. I think we can all agree that having a place to call home provides stability and the foundation for individuals and families to thrive. Not having a place to call home leads to instability, spiraling, mental health challenges, drug misuse, violence and challenges the ability to thrive.
Courtesy photo
According to the NH Coalition to End Homelessness 2022 Annual Report, between 2020 and 2022 homelessness in the state increased by 31%. This is an important number, because the coalition’s 2020 Annual Report states that BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) individuals represent a disproportionate level of New Hampshire’s homeless.
“Multiracial and Black/African American people make up 2.7% of the general population in New Hampshire, but are almost four times more likely to be homeless, as they represent 10.2% of the homeless population,” the report says. “Similarly, Hispanic/Latino people make up 2.8% of the general population in New Hampshire, but 10.6% of the homeless population, which is, again, almost a four-fold increase.”
What does this all mean? As BIPOC communities, we have to be aware of how the housing is impacting our communities disproportionately. This means that as we experience more homelessness, we will also experience instability and, possibly, more health and mental health disease, more drug misuse and more violence when compared to the broader white community. Tragically, these disparities only serve to continue to threaten our ability to thrive as BIPOC individuals, families and communities in New Hampshire.
We must all educate ourselves and advocate for more affordable housing in our BIPOC communities now. This starts by engaging with your local legislators, by getting elected to town and city councils, and by getting involved at the local level with zoning and planning boards.
We have an opportunity to engage gubernatorial and presidential candidates tramping through our cities and towns. Let’s make sure they know this is a priority for the future growth and health of our New Hampshire BIPOC communities.
New Hampshire is changing demographically. We will continue to see more in-migration to the state attracted by work, entrepreneurialism and quality of life.
Much of that change will happen within the BIPOC communities. It’s up to us to drive our own destiny to ensure all members of our BIPOC community have homes that provide stability where they can thrive.
We know that we have a housing and homelessness problem in New Hampshire. If you didn’t know this, my questions to you is, what rock have you been hiding under? I mention the two because they are connected.
This is not a new problem. New Hampshire had significant growth in new housing creation in the 1970s through the 1990s as more people moved to the Granite State for work, less taxes and quality of life. According to New Hampshire Housing’s 2023 Statewide Housing Needs Assessment, in those 20 years, the state saw net in-migration of over 500,000.
Since 1990, there has been a long decline in population growth. Between 2010 and 2020 net in-migration was just over 60,000. This decline in population growth explains the continued decrease of housing development over time.
However, the housing picture is very complex. In recent years, in addition to the slowdown in housing creation because of demographic shifts, New Hampshire Housing reports that 8,400 potential rental units have been taken out of rental circulation and reserved for vacation/seasonal use. Another 2,000 units have simply vanished.
In addition, the pandemic saw many out-of-staters move to New Hampshire and purchase single-family units and condos at premium prices. Those who could not purchase units rented them and pushed rents beyond what many lower- and middle-class New Hampshirites could afford.
Finally, inflation has stagnated the housing market, and more people in the higher income brackets are opting to rent, putting more pressure on the rental market, which continues to drive up prices. All this pressure has caused vacancy rates to dip to 0.5% or lower statewide and caused rents to surge to $1,600, or more for a two-bedroom apartment. That means a person would have to earn minimally $30 per hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment.
All this is to say that “Houston, we have a problem.” New Hampshire Housing’s report states that it has about 2,000 multifamily units under construction or renovation. Far short of the 23,500 rental and single-family units we need now. The nonprofit says we will need a total of 60,000 units between 2020-2030 and another 30,000 units between 2030-2040 to meet demographic changes.
As executive director of Cross Roads House, the second largest homeless shelter in the state, I see the impact this has on regular people every day. I hear the horror stories almost daily. People who have worked all their lives are now finding themselves homeless for the first time. We are seeing a trend in people over 50, some with underlying health issues and most on limited incomes, lose their rental units because their rents have increased beyond their ability to pay.
Younger working families and individuals are also being impacted. A number of them work, and even though they may earn enough to be classified as middle class, they still do not earn enough to afford their own place. What’s wrong with that picture? Has it really come to this, America? Maybe there was never an American dream, but it would not be a stretch to think that if you work hard, regardless of what you bring home, you should be able to afford to put a roof over your head and your family’s heads.
Folks, it is not good when we have working people that are homeless because they can’t afford to rent a place they can call home. I think we can all agree that having a place to call home provides stability and the foundation for individuals and families to thrive. Not having a place to call home leads to instability, spiraling, mental health challenges, drug misuse, violence and challenges the ability to thrive.
According to the NH Coalition to End Homelessness 2022 Annual Report, between 2020 and 2022 homelessness in the state increased by 31%. This is an important number, because the coalition’s 2020 Annual Report states that BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) individuals represent a disproportionate level of New Hampshire’s homeless.
“Multiracial and Black/African American people make up 2.7% of the general population in New Hampshire, but are almost four times more likely to be homeless, as they represent 10.2% of the homeless population,” the report says. “Similarly, Hispanic/Latino people make up 2.8% of the general population in New Hampshire, but 10.6% of the homeless population, which is, again, almost a four-fold increase.”
What does this all mean? As BIPOC communities, we have to be aware of how the housing is impacting our communities disproportionately. This means that as we experience more homelessness, we will also experience instability and, possibly, more health and mental health disease, more drug misuse and more violence when compared to the broader white community. Tragically, these disparities only serve to continue to threaten our ability to thrive as BIPOC individuals, families and communities in New Hampshire.
We must all educate ourselves and advocate for more affordable housing in our BIPOC communities now. This starts by engaging with your local legislators, by getting elected to town and city councils, and by getting involved at the local level with zoning and planning boards.
We have an opportunity to engage gubernatorial and presidential candidates tramping through our cities and towns. Let’s make sure they know this is a priority for the future growth and health of our New Hampshire BIPOC communities.
New Hampshire is changing demographically. We will continue to see more in-migration to the state attracted by work, entrepreneurialism and quality of life.
Much of that change will happen within the BIPOC communities. It’s up to us to drive our own destiny to ensure all members of our BIPOC community have homes that provide stability where they can thrive.
This article is featured in the spring 2024 issue of 603 Diversity.
603 Diversity’s mission is to educate readers of all backgrounds about the exciting accomplishments and cultural contributions of the state’s diverse communities, as well as the challenges faced and support needed by those communities to continue to grow and thrive in the Granite State.
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