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Housing News & Food Access Updates

  • waystationnh
  • Sep 18
  • 5 min read
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A representative from Freedom Food Pantry told Effingham selectmen Tuesday that the food pantry stands ready to assist former residents of the PK Motel which was taken by Effingham for delinquent taxes, which lead to the discovery of safety issues in the building. Fifteen people were evacuated from the PK Motel after the town of Effingham on July 22 officially acquired the property located at 171 Pine River Road following the former owner’s failure to pay taxes. According to officials, the visual inspection revealed serious health, life safety and fire code violations ... During the inspection, several long-term occupants, including children, were found living in the buildings.


Governor Highlights New Laws to Tackle Housing Crisis (Governor.nh.gov):

Governor Kelly Ayotte, Mayor Jay Ruais, and legislators, housing advocates, and builders celebrated new laws to tackle the housing crisis ...


At Ceremonial Bill Signing, Housing Action NH Applauds Governor Ayotte and Bipartisan Lawmakers for Prioritizing Accessible and Attainable Housing (Housing Action NH): https://housingactionnh.org/news/release-at-ceremonial-bill-signing-housing-action-nh-applauds-governor-ayotte-and-bipartisan-lawmakers-for-prioritizing-accessible-and-attainable-housing/

Governor Ayotte held a ceremonial bill signing for a package of new laws that will help address New Hampshire’s housing crisis, including HB 577, allowing attached and detached accessory dwelling units (ADUs) by right in single-family zones, and HB 631, allowing multi-family homes in commercial zones. These laws will help increase accessible and attainable housing options for our workforce, young families, seniors seeking to age in place, and people with disabilities.


Rising homelessness in New Hampshire demands attention (Monadnock Ledger-Transcript): https://ledgertranscript.com/2025/09/16/remembering-those-who-died-homeless/ ... the weight of it took me to a subzero night on the townhouse steps where Monadnock Area Transitional Shelter board members and people from the community gathered to remember the list of individuals who had died homeless in 2024.

On Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day vigils, held each year around the winter solstice, community members, service providers, friends and family gather to honor individuals who have died while homeless ... 54 names and epitaphs board members of MATS [were] read that night.


Melissa, a mother who experienced homelessness due to domestic violence, shares story (WMUR/Channel 9): https://www.wmur.com/article/new-hampshire-faces-of-homelessness-melissa/45472166

This is Melissa, a mother of two, who has experienced homelessness after domestic violence drove her and her young children from their home. Despite these challenges, Melissa's determination and the support from community organizations in New Hampshire helped her rebuild.


For the first time, the Bridgton Food Pantry will have a place it can call home.


Affordable Housing is Out of Reach in New Hampshire for Low-Wage Workers (Housing Action NH): https://housingactionnh.org/news/report-affordable-housing-is-out-of-reach-in-new-hampshire-for-low-wage-workers/

Full-time workers need to earn $35.08 per hour to afford a modest, two-bedroom apartment at Fair Market Rent in New Hampshire. This is New Hampshire’s “2025 Housing Wage” according to Out of Reach, a report published jointly today by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) and Housing Action New Hampshire.


Fox & Friends Host Brian Kilmeade Apologies for Comments about Homeless Citizens (Conway Daily Sun): https://www.conwaydailysun.com/lifestyles/entertainment/fox-friends-host-brian-kilmeade-apologizes-for-controversial-comment-on-homeless/article_3530dd40-81db-5974-8883-b5a504ec1da0.html “Now during that discussion, I wrongly said they should get lethal injections. I apologize for that extremely callous remark. I am obviously aware that not all mentally ill, homeless people act as the perpetrator did in North Carolina and that so many homeless people deserve our empathy and compassion.”


‘Coming home’: Eight supportive apartments downtown await new tenants exiting homelessness (Concord Monitor): https://www.concordmonitor.com/2025/09/16/coming-home-eight-supportive-apartments-downtown-await-new-tenants-exiting-homelessness/

... the coalition’s eight new supportive housing units aren’t just a homecoming for the organization itself but for the apartments’ soon-to-be tenants: ten people currently experiencing homelessness in the Concord area.


This January a disabled homeless man was hit and killed by a car. (NHPR Digital) http://www.nhprdigital.org/series-homeless-in-nh

His death opened a conversation about what homelessness looks like in our state. It turns out, there's no one answer to that question. Sometimes it means sleeping in a hole in the middle of a city, or renting a room in a rural motel.Or navigating laws that, according to the Justice Department, criminalize homelessness - but that some cities say they need. It can mean a three-hour walk to the grocery store, or dying on the way back from the soup kitchen.


New Hampshire man tells of journey navigating realities of homelessness and hope (WMUR/Channel 9): https://www.wmur.com/article/new-hampshire-man-homeless-journey-jj/45519759

This is JJ, a young man who navigated the harsh realities of homelessness for three years.


No Cause Evictions Will Affect Homeless Rates (NH Coalition to End Homelessness): https://www.nhceh.org/news/no-cause-evictions-will-affect-homeless-rates/

There are already waitlists at shelters across the state for individuals, and families with children.  The reality of no cause evictions is that they will put already-vulnerable people, such as older adults and those living with disabilities, at much greater risk of losing their safe, stable homes and having to be added to the bottom of one of these lists.


Do you support the new law that allows landlords to evict tenants? (COnway Daily Sun Tele-talk)

Beginning July 1 next year, a new state law will allow landlords to terminate leases with or without cause. Currently, landlords must follow legal procedures and obtain a court order to evict tenants. Supporters of the new law say a lease has a specified time frame and should not bind a property owner indefinitely. Opponents say the bill ends an important protection for tenants at a time when there is a statewide shortage of vacant apartments.


Aldermen approve plan to keep Beech St. shelter open through winter, explore new site (Concord Monitor):

Public health experts and local advocates say the outbreak is fueled by a confluence of on-the-ground factors: the sidelining and closing of programs that distributed sterile syringes to people who use drugs, a shortage of medical providers focused on HIV, and the clearing of the city’s largest homeless encampment, which upended care for newly diagnosed people living there. But those issues may not remain local for long.


Violet, who has experienced homelessness due to LGBTQ+ identity, urges for more empathy (WMUR/Channel 9): https://www.wmur.com/article/new-hampshire-faces-of-homelessness-violet/45472250

Violet, who was once homeless himself, speaks on the imperative of compassion towards individuals living without shelter. With a personal history marked by homelessness due to his LGBTQ+ identity, Violet brings a unique and deeply personal perspective to the table, urging for a more empathetic approach to those in similar predicaments.


When her car ran out of gas, help came from a homeless encampment (NHPR): https://www.nhpr.org/2025-09-17/when-her-car-ran-out-of-gas-help-came-from-a-homeless-encampment

This story is part of the My Unsung Hero series, from the Hidden Brain team. It features stories of people whose kindness left a lasting impression on someone else.

 
 
 

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