As is true in many counties, a shortage of available and affordable housing continues to have a major impact on communities’ economic and civic health. The webinar will include a presentation from NERCRD that shares the current state of the housing market in Pennsylvania, where we are and how did we get there. The focus will be on current inventory, pricing trends, regional data from PA and the impact of interest rates on housing supply.

The next part of the webinar will focus on the UNH Housing academy and showcase the unique role the Cooperative Extension system is currently playing in working with communities through engagement and planning to address the important issue of affordable housing.

We will explore a model implemented in New Hampshire over the past three years.  New Hampshire Housing Academy, a component of the InvestNH initiative provides training for municipal officials and volunteers, building their capacity to engage local community members, identify challenges and barriers, and develop and implement local solutions to address this crisis in ways that meet the needs of current and future residents and support thriving resilient communities.  In this session we will explore the programs’ structure and implementation, Success stories from communities implementing the program locally, challenges, and lessons learned.   The InvestNH partnership includes the University of NH Cooperative Extension, the State of NH Office of Planning and Development, NH Housing Finance Authority, NH Municipal Association and other state and regional partners.  

The New Hampshire Housing Academy was developed as part of a large state-wide effort to address the housing crisis, working with partners from the state government as well as other nonprofit organizations.  The broader Invest NH Housing Opportunity Grant Program is described more fully here:  https://www.nhhopgrants.org/    New Hampshire Extension’s role in developing Housing Academy has been to provide training to local leaders focused on building their capacity to engage broadly with their own community, identify goals and barriers and develop local responses that are supported and sustainable. 

The knowledge gained by webinar participants about New Hampshire’s housing initiatives can serve as a catalyst for new or updated housing plans and programs for planners and decision-makers in Pennsylvania and other states.