O P I N I O N

THE SOAPBOX

Stand up. Speak up. It’s your turn.

We are in the midst of a housing crisis, making it nearly impossible for hardworking Granite Staters to live and stay in New Hampshire. While Democrats are working on expanding affordable housing options and protecting renters, House Republicans have repeatedly tried to dismantle long standing protections for tenants, and they did so again earlier this year.

Twice this year, House Republicans passed legislation that would allow landlords to evict tenants at the end of a lease without providing any reason, even if they are up-to-date on rent and have followed all the terms of their lease. Such a change now, in the middle of a housing shortage, will put thousands of New Hampshire’s 150,000 rental households at risk of losing their homes.

We know that there is not enough housing to go around, and what there is is very expensive. The current average rent for a two-bedroom apartment in New Hampshire stands at $1,900, the third highest in the nation, while the vacancy rate remains abysmally low at 0.06% – a healthy vacancy rate is considered 5%.

Nearly half of all renters in New Hampshire spend more than 30% of their income on rent, and many of the poorest pay more than half of their income on housing, leaving little for food, medicine, and other essentials.

New Hampshire’s housing crisis disproportionately affects our most vulnerable Granite Staters, including seniors, individuals with disabilities, and low-income families. For them, securing affordable housing is increasingly challenging, with only a fraction of available units aligning with their income levels.

In the current rental market, potential tenants need to prove that their income is three times the amount of rent to even be considered. These stringent income requirements make finding a place you “qualify” to rent nearly impossible for low-income renters, which is why people struggle so hard to hold on to their current apartments.

It is always traumatic to lose your home, but in this rental market, with no guarantee of finding another apartment, it is terrifying. Take a Granite Stater named Rachel, for example. She is disabled and lives with her disabled husband and their granddaughter. They were good tenants who paid their rent and took pride in their home. Unfortunately, their landlord decided to renovate their apartment and that meant they were getting evicted.

Finding an apartment you can afford when you are on a fixed income is very difficult. For a while, they were homeless and lived in a hotel. It took them two years to find another apartment, and as Rachel said during her testimony, she did nothing wrong.

Rachel’s story underscores the harsh reality of navigating a housing market that values financial metrics over human dignity.

If this policy had been enacted, the situation for renters like Rachel would only worsen, leading to more families becoming homeless and perpetuating a cycle of instability.

Even with current protections in place, approximately 400 evictions occur every month in New Hampshire. We need that number to go down, not up. It’s clear that urgent legislative action is needed to protect renters. We cannot ignore the human suffering caused by policies prioritizing landlords’ interests over tenants’ rights. The time for action is now.

Legislators are morally obligated to ensure that every hardworking Granite Stater can access affordable housing. Although this policy was eventually blocked from becoming law, I have no doubt that some of my Republican colleagues will work to bring it back next term.

We must safeguard renters from policies that could jeopardize every Granite Stater’s housing security. The future of our communities and our state hinges on our collective efforts. I am committed to continuing this fight in the next term, and I invite you to join me in this cause by reelecting me as your State Representative this November.

NH State Rep. Kathy Staub, D-Manchester, serves District 25.

Beg to differ? Agree to disagree? Leave your comments below using our DISQUS app. Got issues of your own? The Soapbox is the place to air your thoughts on topics of general interest. Send submissions for consideration to publisher@inklink.news