Manchester eligible for grant money with Housing Champion designation

The city is one of 18 communities in the state designated a Housing Champion, which makes it eligible to apply for a share of $5 million in state grant money to help develop workforce housing.

by Carol Robidoux

Updated December 20, 2024

MANCHESTER, NH– The city is one of 18 communities in the state designated a Housing Champion, which makes it eligible to apply for a share of $5 million in state grant money to help develop workforce housing.

The first group of designees was announced Wednesday by the Department of Business and Economic Advancement. The new program is designed as an incentive to further develop workforce housing, in communities that have already made an effort to address the state’s housing challenges.

“Addressing our housing challenges and increasing our supply of affordable units is a collaborative effort,” said Mayor Jay Ruais. “Being designated a Housing Champion increases our funding options, so I am deeply grateful to the BEA. This designation was made possible by our Economic Development Director Jodie Nazaka. The application process was time consuming, but she made certain Manchester was one of the cities that came out on top. Jodie is an amazing advocate for the city and I truly appreciate her efforts.”

Ruais added, “This is top priority of ours. Since January 1, the city has issued Certificates of Occupancy for 543 new dwelling units, the Planning Board approved 600 new dwelling units and we have 707 active units under construction. Additionally, we sold 15 parcels of unused land generating $1.13 million for our Affordable Housing Trust Fund and we’re in the middle of a city-wide rezoning effort which is a generational opportunity to add housing to our city.”

The municipalities were scored based on their commitment to advancing housing initiatives. Points were awarded in the required categories of adopting land use regulations, training land use board members, implementing water and sewer infrastructure upgrades, and implementing transportation and walkability infrastructure. Applicants also got points for offering financial incentives for housing development.

“Housing is one of the biggest challenges to the New Hampshire economy and these communities have demonstrated leadership in fostering solutions supporting affordable, accessible, and sustainable housing development,” said BEA Commissioner Taylor Caswell in a Wednesday news release. “These communities set an example by creating opportunities for housing solutions that benefit residents and drive economic growth. Their innovative approaches and collaborative efforts are instrumental in addressing our state’s housing challenges.”

With a Housing Champion designation, communities are eligible to apply for the Housing Infrastructure Municipal Grant, with $3.5 million available, and the Housing Production Municipal Grant, with $1.5 million available. The New Hampshire legislature created and provided $5 million in funding for the Housing Champion Designation and Grant Program, with the purpose of enabling municipalities to voluntarily engage in the Housing Champion program. BEA administers the designation process and related programming.

The grants are designed to further support municipalities in developing housing solutions and advancing infrastructure critical to their communities. Applications for the grants be available April 1 for the second round of the Housing Champion program.

The 2024 Housing Champion Awardees are: