Affordable housing comes to affluent New Hampshire community

Bow, a community of 7,500 residents in bucolic central New Hampshire, is a success story that shows how an affluent community can embrace affordable rental housing, thanks to CATCH Neighborhood Housing.

"My mantra is that it is all about relationships," says Rosemary Heard, president. "The projects we do today are only possible due to the seeds we planted years before."

Bow Highlands, a 36-unit affordable rental development, began in 2008 as a plan for a 40-unit, market-rate condominium development to be built by a private interests. However, due to a declining real estate market, only four of the units were built, two of which were sold and the other two retained by the developer. The general contractor, who had long known Heard and CATCH's work throughout Merrimack County, approached her about purchasing the property.

Recognizing the value of relationships, Heard reached out to town leaders to discuss CATCH's potential acquisition of the development rights. In addition to going to town meetings and boards, Heard had individual conversations with community leaders to talk about the need for affordable housing in Bow, where the median annual household income exceeds $108,000.

"We asked the city manager to share payroll information for various jobs within Bow, and we were able to show that many of the town's first responders qualified, many of whom lived elsewhere because they couldn't afford to live close by," recalls Heard.

When Heard found out that some residents were saying Bow Highlands would create a burden on the school system because of increased enrollment, she immediately reached out to the dean and soon learned the opposite was true. The dean's projections showed that the district's census was declining and the additional students were needed to keep the schools viable.

With the town's support, Bow Highlands was constructed in two phases. Funds came from ARRA, tax credits and other sources, and the project was complete in 2015. Now, Bow Highlands offers housing for local teachers, firefighters and security guards—people like Rory and his 3-year-old daughter, Kyla.
A single parent, Rory was struggling to find a home he could afford on his salary as a guard that was healthy and safe, and where his little girl could play outside freely. He learned of Bow Highlands from his sister. Today, he lives there in a clean, spacious apartment, complete with a small yard and friendly neighbors, where Kyla can pedal around in her favorite toy, a kid-sized car.

 "Without CATCH, I would not be able to give my daughter a safe home. CATCH has made it possible for me to start to build a good life," says Rory.

The town is so pleased with Bow Highlands that government has helped pave the way for CATCH to work in other communities by providing needed letters of support attesting to the benefits of building workforce housing with a committed partner like Rosemary Heard and her team.