Investments Impact 73 Housing Units and Nearly 11,500 Residents throughout the State
CDFA has awarded $5.1 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to New Hampshire communities. These critical resources will support housing, public facilities, and infrastructure projects in communities throughout the state. Investments will impact 73 units of housing and nearly 11,500 residents.
“Community Development Block Grant funds play a critical role in strengthening communities across New Hampshire,” said Katherine Easterly Martey, Executive Director of CDFA. “These investments are meeting the critical needs of the people in our communities – helping families stay housed, providing parents access to child care, supporting access to food security and critical services, and creating spaces for communities to gather and build connection. Our local partners are turning federal investments into real, lasting impact for New Hampshire communities.”
Projects approved by CDFA’s Community Development Advisory Committee include:
Housing
City of Berlin – Notre Dame Apartments – $500,000: Resources will support AHEAD’s repair of the HVAC system in the Notre Dame Apartments in Berlin. Rehabilitating the heating system will ensure reliable heat, reduce ongoing repair costs, improve energy efficiency, and protect residents’ health. All 33 units are occupied by elderly individuals; this project will ensure that the units will remain affordable and continue to benefit low-and moderate-income households.
City of Concord – Families in Transition Office Space Conversion – $500,000: Families in Transition will leverage grant resources to convert underutilized office space into four additional two-bedroom affordable housing units in downtown Concord, increasing the total number of affordable units in two buildings from 16 to 20. By repurposing existing space within established affordable housing properties, the project efficiently expands housing supply in a walkable downtown location with access to services, transportation, and employment.
Town of Hillsborough – 17 W. Main St. Sprinkler System and Affordable Housing Units – $500,000: Rumrill LLC will leverage grant resources for the installation of a full building sprinkler system and the construction of two new two-bedroom apartments on the fourth floor at the Rumrill Building in downtown Hillsborough. The improvements will support life safety and other critical updates to a total of 13 affordable rental units.
Town of Lisbon – Lisbon Inn Rehabilitation – $500,000: Grant funds will be used to support AHEAD’s rehabilitation of the historic Lisbon Inn located on Main Street in Lisbon. The property contains 19 units of affordable housing serving seniors and individuals with disabilities. Due to the age of the building, several critical capital improvements are required to ensure the property remains safe, accessible, and energy efficient for residents while preserving the long‑term affordability of the property.
City of Keene – 657 Marlboro Street Rehab and Lead Remediation – $500,000: Grant resources will support Monadnock Affordable Housing Corporation’s rehabilitation and lead hazard remediation of 657 Marlboro Street, a four-unit residential property in Keene. The building is a two-story multi-family structure originally constructed in 1875. Updates include complete lead hazard abatement, full bathroom renovation across all four units, including ADA accessibility improvements, and building envelope improvements.
Public Facilities
Belknap County – Archways Expansion Project – $500,000: Grant funds will support the construction of a second floor at Archways’ Tilton Center, doubling its size and significantly expanding its capacity to serve underserved residents in the Tilton area. Archways currently serves more than 1,000 individuals annually and expects the expansion will increase the number of people they serve annually by about 200. The expanded facility will improve access to peer recovery supports, family resources, workforce readiness tools and digital access, helping individuals and families facing addiction, mental illness, poverty, trauma, or homelessness rebuild stability and connection.
Cheshire County – Keene Day Care Center Facility Improvements – $500,000: Grant funds will support building improvements at the Keene Day Care Center, helping preserve and expand access to quality child care for families across Cheshire County. The upgrades will ensure a safe, comfortable and energy efficient environment for children and staff. Improvements include updating heating and cooling systems, new energy efficient windows, and installing a fire sprinkler system to address safety needs to sustain existing child care capacity for 70 children.
City of Keene – The Community Kitchen Capital Improvements – $500,000: The Community Kitchen will use grant funds to make critical capital improvements to its downtown Keene facility, strengthening its ability to serve residents experiencing food insecurity. Serving approximately 4,000 low to moderate-income individuals each year, the Community Kitchen distributed more than 400,000 meal equivalents in 2025. The project includes a new freight lift, standby generator, HVAC unit replacement, and expanded food storage. These upgrades will improve operational efficiency, ensure uninterrupted service during emergencies and maintain safe, welcoming conditions for guests, staff, and volunteers, ultimately enhancing the organization’s long term capacity to meet essential community needs.
Town of Lisbon – Lisbon Boys & Girls Club HVAC Improvements – $500,000: Resources will be leveraged by the Boys & Girls Club of Central and Northern NH to repair the HVAC system at their facility in Lisbon, helping to sustain essential youth services in the North Country including afterschool, summer and school vacation programs. Upgrades include replacing the aging and inadequate HVAC system to address health and safety concerns
Town of Littleton – Littleton Community Center Rehabilitation Project – $500,000: Grant funds will support the rehabilitation of the Littleton Community Center, a historic downtown facility that serves all 6,000 residents of Littleton as a community hub. The Center hosts a wide range of programs and activities, including mental health and wellness initiatives, educational workshops, caregiver and senior supports, services for families and individuals with disabilities and space for community organizations and public gatherings. The project will rehabilitate two historic buildings, the Community House and the Carriage Barn, stabilizing the aging infrastructure while improving accessibility, safety and functionality to ensure the Center can continue to meet evolving community needs.
Emergency
City of Laconia – Belknap House Sewer Line Replacement – $100,000: Belknap House will use the grant funds to replace/repair a broken sewer line at the shelter located in downtown Laconia. The project will benefit an estimated 47 individuals, including adults and children, experiencing homelessness. The sewer pipes are close to 100 years old and the connection from the home to the city sewer need emergency repair after leaking a substantial amount of sewage into the basement in December 2025. Belknap House is the only family-centered shelter in Belknap County, providing safe shelter to children alongside educational programming and customized case management for parents.
The grant awards await final approval from the Governor and Executive Council.
CDFA has awarded more than $213 million in Community Development Block Grant funds since 2003. These critical federal resources have been deployed to communities throughout New Hampshire and have a significant impact on economic development, housing and community-based initiatives which primarily benefit low- and moderate-income people in New Hampshire. Funding for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program is provided to New Hampshire through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
To learn more about CDFA, its impact on New Hampshire communities, and available funding resources, visit www.nhcdfa.org.
About the Community Development Finance Authority
The Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA) is a statewide nonprofit public authority focused on maximizing the value and impact of community development, economic development and clean energy initiatives throughout New Hampshire. The organization leverages a variety of financial and technical resources, including the competitive deployment of grant, loan and equity programs. Those resources include New Hampshire state tax credits, federal Community Development Block Grant resources and the CDFA Clean Energy Fund. For more information about CDFA and its programs visit www.nhcdfa.org or call 603-226-2170.
###
