Understanding choice vouchers as a tool to address the housing crisis

LACONIA — Laconia Housing Authority is quietly working each day to provide low income housing, preserve dignity, and real pathways to safe, secure, and affordable housing. And yet, despite its impact, the work is often misunderstood, especially when it comes to one of the most important tools in this effort: the Housing Choice Voucher Program, previously known as Section 8.

What it means to hold a voucher

Contrary to myths, these vouchers are not a handout. They are part of a federal program created to give low-income individuals — many of whom are working, aging, or living with a disability — a chance at stability. The process to receive a voucher is rigorous: applicants must prove they earn below 30% of the area median income, complete an extensive HUD application, and go through annual recertifications and compliance inspections to remain eligible.

And then comes the hardest part: finding housing. With soaring real estate prices and the conversion of many former HCV-eligible units into market-rate apartments or short-term rentals, even with a voucher in hand, the search for a home can take years. When a voucher is issued to you, you have 120 days to search for a unit and a landlord who accepts a voucher. Right now, the average wait for a voucher in Laconia is over three years, with 978 individuals on the list and 20-30 more added each month.

And these aren’t just numbers. They’re neighbors. Parents. Grandparents. People staying on couches, sleeping in cars, lining up at emergency shelters like Carey House. They’re resilient, but they’re running out of options.

A system designed

with support at the center

Laconia Housing doesn’t just place people in units, we walk alongside them, offering support from day one. Through a partnership with CAP Belknap-Merrimack Counties, we’re working to reconnect with waitlisted individuals who’ve lost contact due to housing instability, and to ensure they receive wraparound services like transportation and case management once housed.

We know housing is only the first step. Stability grows when people are met with dignity, structure, and care. That’s why Laconia Housing maintains 351 affordable units across 10 properties, and carefully administers 509 vouchers across the region — with 439 currently funded and in use.

Each unit is held to high standards, with third-party inspections ensuring quality, safety, and pride of place. LHA invests in building improvements to its properties, upkeep, and accessibility, because we believe every resident deserves to be safe at home. LHA also provides support services at three of its properties to help keep people safe in their homes.

The landscape: Scarcity and urgency

New Hampshire currently has a deficit of 23,500 affordable housing units. Just 3.5% of the state’s rental inventory is designated affordable, even though 20% of renters qualify for rental assistance. In the Lakes Region alone, only 2,238 income-restricted units exist across 16 of our 31 communities. It’s not enough, and the gap is growing.

Our community is aging. Since 2018, the number of elderly or disabled residents in Laconia Housing has risen from 58% to over 68%. Meanwhile, only 30% of our residents are of working age, underscoring how critical long-term support is for vulnerable populations. And still, 46% of our tenants have been housed for three years or more, proving that when support and structure exist, stability is possible.

Creating housing is time consuming, expensive, and met with opposition many times by community members. The data shows we are behind current demand. Continuing to delay the process of thoughtful housing will not provide a solution to solve the housing crisis, rather it will continue to exacerbate it.

This isn’t just housing. It’s a place to call home

We know that people fear change. That they worry about safety, about overcrowding, about the unknown. But here’s the truth: housing programs like HCV are not the cause of the crisis, they are our most powerful tool to prevent a crisis.

At Laconia Housing, we don’t take our role lightly. We operate with integrity, with oversight, and with community values at our core. Eviction is always a last resort. Support is always ongoing. And every property we manage is an investment in a healthier, safer, more stable Laconia.

For more information, visit laconiahousing.org.

—Laconia Housing Authority