NH needs 20,000 housing units, city’s homelessness task force hears

LACONIA — The critical shortage of affordable housing in the Lakes Region was stressed at the inaugural meeting of the Mayor’s Homelessness Task Force.

An estimated 20,000 housing units are needed across the state just to level out the supply-and-demand crunch on affordable housing, Carmen Lorentz, executive director of Lakes Region Community Developers, said during the meeting on Tuesday.

About 40 people took part in the 90-minute session, which was held remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mayor Andrew Hosmer said participants included representatives of public safety agencies, the city school system, city officials, local nonprofit organizations, and business owners, along with private citizens.

Lorentz cited some statistics to highlight the extreme scarcity of affordable housing in Laconia and surrounding communities.

Between this past June and September, she said, Community Developers had openings in 83 of its units. Those vacancies prompted 546 inquiries, and 192 applications, of which 86 applicants — or 45 percent — were found qualified, she said.

Of those who were disqualified, most were found unsuitable because of a bad reference from a prior landlord (usually for non-payment of rent), criminal history, or an incomplete application, Lorentz explained.

The shortage is causing rents in the area to climb significantly, the mayor said.

“Affordable housing not only serves the poor, but also working people who can’t afford expensive rents or to buy a starter home,” Hosmer said.

He said some members of the task force will be assigned to subgroups in the coming weeks. One will look closer at homelessness statistics in the area, while another will examine programs that have a track record of success in helping homeless people.

When the full task force meets sometime in December, the subgroups will discuss their findings and then get feedback from the full group.

Hosmer said he also wants to include some homeless people on the task force.

A couple of statistics cited during the meeting offered a glimpse about the extent of homelessness in the Lakes Region.

Assistant Laconia School Superintendent Amy Hinds told the meeting there have been 118 homeless students during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 school years. A representative of Isaiah 61 Cafe, which offers a midday meal to anyone who wants one, said it serves between 45 and 60 people a day.

Hosmer said that he hopes the task force can facilitate greater coordination and collaboration among the various community-based groups which work with homeless people.

He also said it is necessary that any initiatives surrounding the issue of homelessness need to be mindful of the city's overall quality of life.

“We need to have a balance between human and economic concerns.” Hosmer said.