To improve access to affordable housing for everyone in our community.

The Eastern Lakes Region Housing Coalition (ELRHC) was established as a non-profit corporation in 2005 to promote responsible and affordable housing for our local workforce.  The Board of Directors is composed of individuals representing community, business, healthcare, manufacturing, real estate, construction, and education entities from the rural towns east of Lake Winnipesaukee.

ELRHC takes a comprehensive approach to this issue. The communities in our region share one economy, road system, school district, health system, and common recreational programs. Because we are so closely interconnected, we must work together to find effective solutions to the affordable workforce housing shortage.

Why We Exist:

• Community Master Plans and regional statistics indicate that a growing number of people in our area can’t find affordable places to live.
• While salaries have remained level, the cost of housing has risen dramatically in the past decade.
• The lack of affordable/workforce housing close to jobs and services stifles economic growth, creates worker stress, increases traffic problems, and affects the quality of life in our communities.
• Retail, service, clerical, health care, child care, public safety, and small business workers cannot afford to rent or purchase suitable homes in the area.
• Lack of affordable housing forces many families to pay far more than 30% of their income for housing, or live in overcrowded, substandard conditions.
• Well-kept, reasonably priced housing within our communities can provide individuals and families with safe and healthy places to live.

ELRHC STRATEGIES and GOALS:

ADVOCACY-By improving the awareness of the need for affordable housing and by increasing advocacy and education to/for local government and business leaders.

SUPPORT GROWTH IN OPTIONS-By increasing the possibility for the development of affordable housing.

CONNECT ORGANIZATIONS-By streamlining efforts to find, grow and offer affordable housing.

SUPPORT LOCAL PEOPLE-By simplifying the process for learning about affordable housing resources.

ELRHC’s objective is to support the creation of a diversity of housing in our region to ensure that all of our friends, neighbors and family members can find affordable housing in their own communities. A diversity of housing means the creation of a mix of housing types including market-rate, affordable, and mixed income housing. It includes both ownership and rental opportunities in single and multi-family options. Options for more modest-sized and lower-priced homes are critical to the life and economic sustainability and growth of our region.