Republican-led NH Senate moves to cut housing aid but protect school voucher funding

In a party-line vote, Senate Republicans on the Finance Committee this week rejected continued funding for New Hampshire’s Housing Champions Program — an initiative hailed by housing advocates and local leaders as a key tool in the fight against the state’s worsening housing crisis.

The program, which offers resources and direct support to municipalities that commit to building more affordable housing, has been active in 18 New Hampshire communities and was oversubscribed due to demand. Democrats had proposed a $10 million investment to sustain and expand the initiative.

“Defunding the Housing Champions Program now, when housing is the top issue for Granite Staters, is a jump in the wrong direction,” said Senate Democratic Leader Rebecca Perkins Kwoka in a statement after the vote. “Communities across New Hampshire are ready to act — and this gives them the tools they need.”

The decision comes amid rising housing costs that have left tens of thousands of New Hampshire residents struggling to find affordable options. The program had been widely praised for empowering towns to develop local solutions with state backing.

“I am disappointed in this shortsighted vote, but Democrats will keep working on the issues that actually matter to Granite Staters,” Perkins Kwoka added. “Republicans continue to show how they cut out working families to make way for their extreme and out-of-touch priorities.”

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Republicans cited fiscal concerns in their decision to block the measure. However, Democrats were quick to point out the contradiction, noting that Republican lawmakers have continued to support an estimated $120 million in state funding for the Education Freedom Account program, a school voucher scheme that critics say disproportionately benefits the wealthy.

State Republicans promised to make greater access to affordable housing one of their top priorities in the 2024 election cycle, as they have in many past years, with little to show for it. Something housing advocates were quick to point out following this news.

“Absurdity — plain and simple. While hard working folks struggle to keep a roof over their heads, Republicans are cutting $10 million from critical housing investments — while funneling over 10 times that amount, $120 million, into vouchers that let millionaires send their kids to private religious schools… Republicans are clinging to the same broken priorities that got us here in the first place.” Said Matt Mooshian, program director at 603 Forward, a progressive advocacy group in the state.

The Finance Committee’s rejection now puts the future of the Housing Champions Program in jeopardy, even as housing affordability ranks as a top concern among New Hampshire voters.