Impact of Community Development Block Grant Resources in New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA) deploys federal Community Development Block Grant resources from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development towards impactful projects across New Hampshire. CDFA has been committed to strengthening New Hampshire communities for more than forty years.

“Dedicating resources to community economic development initiatives in New Hampshire is fundamental to the growth and prosperity of our communities and our state,” said Katherine Easterly Martey, Executive Director, CDFA. “Through these investments, we are building critical public infrastructure to support our communities to be strong, resilient, and vibrant places. We are honored to support these efforts with the deployment of Community Development Block Grants across the Granite State and are grateful for the community partners that ensure these resources fund important, community initiatives.”

CDFA has guided the investment of more than $204 million of Community Development Block Grant resources into communities throughout New Hampshire since July 2003. Currently, there are more than 100 projects underway in New Hampshire funded by the Community Development Block Grant Program. These critical community-based projects have been awarded approximately $40.5 million in block grant resources and are leveraging tens of millions of dollars in matching capital to be successful. These projects are not only for the benefit of our communities in the long-term, they are supporting New Hampshire based businesses by engaging with them for services and materials, as well as employing local workforce to carry out the project.

Between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022, funds from the state program have:

  • Improved the lives of 11,040 people through public services and public facility improvements;
  • Created or retained 22 livable wage jobs with benefits;
  • Created or rehabilitated 251 affordable and workforce housing units; and
  • Provided technical assistance to 300 micro businesses.

Community Development Block Grant resources directly impact people in our communities and have been deployed across the state making 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.

In New Hampshire, Community Development Block Grant resources administered by CDFA:

Community partners that are critical to the success of these investments in New Hampshire include: municipalities, counties, grant administrators, nonprofits, Regional Planning Commissions, Regional Development Corporations, and CDFA’s Community Development Advisory Committee.

To learn more about how Community Development Block Grants and other CDFA resources are impacting New Hampshire communities, review CDFA’s State Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Report.


Recent New Hampshire Community Development Block Grant Awards
There are more than 100 projects underway in New Hampshire funded by the Community Development Block Grant Program administered by CDFA. The following projects have recently been awarded Community Development Block Grant resources to support community development projects that primarily benefit low- and moderate-income persons or households. These are a sampling of the critical community-based projects that would be impacted by disruptions in the flow of federal funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to New Hampshire.

  • Town of Conway was  awarded $499,625 on behalf of The Way Station to support renovations to the facility that serves individuals experiencing homelessness. Funds will help renovate the existing resource center space and create three new transitional housing units for clients.
  • Town of Gorham was awarded $500,000 on behalf of the Gorham Community Learning Center to support the acquisition and rehabilitation of a vacant building to relocate and expand its existing childcare center. The Center will secure a license for seventy infants and children, which will add thirty-one new child care spaces and four to five full-time early childhood education jobs. More than half the children served at the new center will be from families who are of low-to moderate-income.
  • Town of Henniker was awarded $500,000 grant on behalf of the White Birch Community Center, Inc. to renovate a facility that will include a food pantry, senior center and family resource center. The Center will be a handicap accessible, centrally located social service center which will provide and coordinate a multitude of services for more than 600 individuals of whom 55 percent qualify as low- and moderate-income.
  • The Town of Woodstock was awarded $500,000 on behalf of AHEAD (Affordable Housing Education and Development) to construct new housing units near the Village center. A total of twenty-nine units of new housing will be created; seven of which are proposed as market rate and the remaining twenty-two will be affordable housing that will benefit low-and moderate-income households. The project provides much needed affordable housing in the North Country.
  • The City of Keene was awarded $750,000 on behalf of the Monadnock Affordable Housing Corporation to develop thirty affordable apartment units on the 2-acre site of the former Roosevelt School. All of the twenty-two one-bedroom and eight two-bedroom units will be restricted to households making less than 80% of the Area Median Income for a minimum of 30 years. A variety of supportive services will be provided for residents including vaccine clinics, money management services, and on-site activities for children. In addition, five units will be set aside for people who are homeless or at immediate risk of becoming homeless.
  • The Town of Wolfeboro was awarded $500,000 on behalf of the Lakes Region Community Developers to construct thirty units of housing. Twenty-seven of the thirty new units will be available to households at or below 80% of Area Median Income, with the majority being available to households at 50% and 60%. Harriman Hill Phase III will provide desperately needed affordable housing in the Lakes Region. According to the Lakes Region Housing Needs Assessment (2022), the population of the Lakes Region is growing faster than the number of housing units. The small number of vacant units (which are primarily second homes) makes it increasingly difficult for Lakes Region households to find housing.
  • The Town of Hillsborough was awarded $500,000 on behalf of Bridge Street Realty Trust to rehabilitate an unoccupied historic property at the center of Hillsborough Village into seven (7) affordable workforce rental housing units. In addition to the affordable rental units, the developer will also revitalize a commercial space on the street level with non-CDBG funds.
  • The Town of Conway was awarded $500,000 on behalf of Avesta Housing to support construction of a 40-unit, mixed-income residential building in Conway. This will be building number two of an eventual four-building campus on land owned by nonprofit development organization. The site is located off Route 16 with access to employment, services, and amenities in the Mount Washington Valley. Funds will be used for infrastructure improvements including the extension of the new roadway and site utilities to support this new construction of housing units which will be developed with leveraged funds.
  • The County of Merrimack was awarded $194,300.50 on behalf of Fellowship Housing Opportunities, Inc. to replace an unsafe exterior fire escape at one property and to add an elevator at a second property. Nineteen units will be impacted by this project, and all are occupied by low-to moderate-income individuals. Fellowship Housing Opportunities, Inc. is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting recovery from mental illness as a provider of high-quality, affordable housing, and client-centered behavioral services. Their mission is to provide safe, affordable housing with support to members of the community who live with a mental illness.
  • The City of Franklin was awarded $500,000 on behalf of Woodside Haven, LLC to rehabilitate 36 units of affordable housing that are currently in poor condition due to many years of deferred maintenance and capital improvements. All 36 units will continue to be occupied by low-to moderate- income individuals. The property consists of 12 one bedroom and 24 two-bedroom units divided between three buildings.
  • The City of Laconia was awarded $348,829 on behalf of the Boys and Girls Club of Central New Hampshire to rehabilitate the outdoor learning space at the Laconia Early Learning Center that will benefit a total of 149 children, with a minimum of 65% children from low-to moderate- income households. This project not only directly benefits the health and well-being of low- and moderate-income children, it also stabilizes the community by investing in childcare programming at a time when demand far exceeds supply.
  • The Town of Merrimack was awarded $500,000 on behalf of Jewel Estates Cooperative to replace aging water distribution lines in this 44-unit manufactured home community with an 85% of residents being from low-to moderate- income households. The project will ensure that adequate, reliable, clean drinking water will be available for all households in this Cooperative. Without assistance, these low-income residents are in jeopardy of facing an unsustainable situation and losing their affordable housing.
  • The City of Somersworth was awarded $500,000 on behalf of the Granite Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) to make needed upgrades and improvements to the Somersworth Early Learning Center which they recently acquired. The project upgrades will improve the facility’s functionality and increase the Center’s capacity by 122%, providing critically needed childcare slots in the community. Upon completion of these upgrades, Granite YMCA will be able to offer childcare for an additional seventy families in the Greater Somersworth community and provide up to 150 more meals weekly to youth enrolled in the program.
  • The Town of Northumberland was awarded $500,000 on behalf of Brookview Cooperative Mobile Home Park, Inc to upgrade its sewer and water system. There are 43 residents who live in the 18 homes within the park, with 90.7% qualifying as individuals of low-to moderate- income. The project will replace the existing sewer lines and wastewater pump station. Brookview’s systems are privately owned by the Cooperative and connected to the Town of Northumberland’s municipal water and sewer infrastructure.
  • The Town of Derry was awarded $25,000 on behalf of The Upper Room, A Family Resource Center (The Upper Room). The Upper Room is a nonprofit organization which provides education, services, and resources to families in Southern New Hampshire. The funds will be used to support a feasibility study to determine viability of expansion. The Upper Room served approximately 7,200 individuals in the early 2000’s, including 2,600 calls. Demand has increased dramatically and in 2022, they served 17,083 individuals, including 10,183 calls. The organization has been the primary local provider of family support services in the area for over 37 years. The Upper Room programs address family conflict, substance misuse disorder, academic challenges, youth engagement and skill building, family wellness, food insecurity and more.
  • The City of Claremont was awarded $25,000 on behalf of Turning Points Network. The project will fund feasibility studies related to the potential rehabilitation of a building into four units of permanent housing for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other situations. All residents will be individuals who qualify as low-to moderate-income.

 

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.

 

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On March 5, 2025   /   Community Development Block Grant Program, News, Planning Grants