Registration is $20 and includes light breakfast & lunch.
Presented by: Affordable Housing Education and Development, Coos Economic Development Corp., Evernorth, Neil & Louise Tillotson Fund, NH Business & Industry Association, NH Department of Business and Economic Affairs, New Hampshire Housing, North Country Council, and Northern Forest Center
Objectives
- Develop a deeper understanding of the needs, opportunities, and challenges related to individual organizational success and building collaborative projects.
- Create action items to be pursued at the individual organization and a regional collaborative level.
- Establish a plan for follow up to keep progress moving forward after the event.
Audience
- Municipal staff & board members
- Business owners & employer representatives
- Elected representatives
- Housing/economic development organization staff
- Local banks & credit unions
- Housing builders & developers
Coös Housing Convening Agenda
- 8:30 AM – Check-in and Light Breakfast
- 9:00 AM – Welcome
- 9:15 AM – Presentation: Defining the Challenge
- Presented by Harrison Kanzler, Executive Director of AHEAD, this session will begin with a brief overview on the rising costs of construction and financing and its impact on housing development. It will the focus on the central question of the opportunity cost to our region if we do not take corrective action and build more housing. This portion will look both at the potential economic and social impact to the region.
- 10:20 AM – Panel: Coos County Housing Development Success Stories
- While housing challenges persist, successful adaptive reuse and new construction projects can be found in several communities in Coos County. Representatives from AHEAD’s King Square in Whitefield, Northern Forest Center’s PJ Noyes Redevelopment in Lancaster, and New England Family Housing’s Brown School in Berlin will share examples of projects led by their respective organizations, highlighting their approach, challenges encountered, and how the projects came to fruition.
- 11:45 AM – Individual Table Discussions
- 12:00 PM – Provided Lunch and Housing Policy: Progress, Priorities, and the Path Ahead
- Join Rob Dapice, CEO/Executive Director of New Hampshire Housing; Nick Taylor, Executive Director of Housing Action NH; and Natch Greyes, Vice President of Public Policy at the Business & Industry Association of New Hampshire, for a discussion of recent housing legislation, emerging policy priorities, and key budget considerations. Drawing on perspectives from housing finance, advocacy, and the business community, the panel will explore how state policy decisions could shape housing opportunities across New Hampshire, including the North Country.
- 1:15 PM – Break
- 1:30 PM – Group Break-out Session
- 2:30 PM – Panel: Adoptable Tools and Solutions
- Join representatives from NH Housing, Coös Economic Development Corporation (CEDC), North Country Council, Passumpsic Bank, and NH Business & Economic Affairs for a practical discussion on the resources and financing available to support housing development in Coös County. Panelists will explore grants, loans, traditional and alternative financing, technical assistance, and opportunities to combine resources to move projects forward. The conversation will also address the unique financing challenges facing rural housing projects and how local, regional, state, and private partners can work together to create and preserve housing across the North Country.
- 3:30 PM – Group Break-out Session
- 4:15 PM – Commitments and Next Steps
- 5:00 PM – Closing and Social Hour
