Upper Valley Housing: A Complex Problem with Complex Solutions
June 2 Public Event Brings Together Employers, Developers, and Advocates
Housing Breakfast in Lebanon, NH, on Thursday, June 2, 2022.
Copyright 2022 Rob Strong
Meeting the Upper Valley’s housing needs requires all sizes of development: large, medium, and small. Those small-scale projects are the focus of the Spring Housing Solutions Breakfast, Friday, June 2, 7:30 to 9 am (with Q & A from 9-10 am), at the Hilton Garden Inn, Lebanon, hosted by Vital Communities and Twin Pines Housing. This annual event brings together housing leaders representing employers, developers, and advocacy groups to share their perspectives and discuss ongoing and proposed measures to address the issue.
The event is free and open to the public. Free will donations are welcomed to support Vital Communities housing efforts. Registration is required and available at https://vitalcommunities.org/events/spring-housing-solutions-breakfast/. The deadline to register is May 19.
For the past 10 years, nonprofits, municipalities and businesses in both Vermont and New Hampshire have worked hard to promote housing. This year’s Housing Breakfast highlights accessory dwelling units, resident-owned manufactured home communities, and other small-scale developments that play a part in proving the abundant affordable housing our communities need.
“We continue to see some great projects coming through the housing pipeline here in the Upper Valley,” says John Haffner, a program manager at Vital Communities. “The exciting thing about these projects – whether they are big or small – is that they are taking innovative approaches to the housing crisis; that’s what this housing breakfast is all about highlighting.”
The event will:
- Bring together residents, employers, elected officials, and other leaders
- Highlight housing challenges and what is being done to address them
- Identify actions to take moving forward to improve housing in the Upper Valley
The breakfast is part of a longer-term effort by Vital Communities and its partners to inspire affordable housing creation for a thriving and resilient Upper Valley. Learn more about Vital Communities’ housing work at https://vitalcommunities.org/housing/.
Topics and presenters at the breakfast are:
- NH Community Loan Fund/ROC NH on resident-owned manufactured home communities
- Kevin Geiger, Director of Planning, Two Rivers Ottauquechee Regional Commission, representing Keys to the Valley, on ADUs and other efforts
- Nick Clark, Board of Directors, Livable Real Estate Cooperative, on small-scale development
The event is sponsored by Mascoma Bank and Vermont Housing Finance Agency.