As a lifelong Concord resident, I am proud to live and work here, a growing community with new businesses, cultural events and people who care about the region. The same things that make Concord attractive also put pressure on housing. Rents go up. Fewer homes are available to buy. Young families, seniors and workers all feel it.
Picture a recent UNH graduate who just got hired by the state. He wants to live in Concord, close to work. He looks for an apartment he can afford on a starting salary. There are not many options. Rents are high. Units disappear fast. He starts looking farther away. His commute gets longer. The chance to build a life in Concord is slipping away. Our city thrives when the people who work here can also live here, start families and put down roots. That only happens when there are enough homes that people can afford.
This scenario will apply to my college senior daughter, who wants to return home from Ohio next year to work. Will she be able to afford to live in her beloved New Hampshire, or will she be forced to move away to start her adult life? I certainly want her to move home and someday raise a family nearby. For reasons like these, Concord chose to become a Housing Champion.
The Housing Champions program, created in 2023, encourages cities and towns to make changes that allow more homes to be built. In return, the state helps pay for basic systems those homes need, like sewer, water and fire protection. Communities choose to participate. They must meet clear standards and invest local funds.
Concord did that. And the state responded.
In 2025, Concord received $859,689 to upgrade about two miles of sewer line and expand system capacity. That work will make it possible to build 1,220 homes, including 60 affordable units. Without these upgrades, those homes could not move forward.
This is what smart housing policy looks like. Local action paired with state support for the basics that make housing possible. Changing local rules alone does not build homes. Pipes, treatment capacity and safety systems do.
Now, House Republicans are moving a bill to eliminate the Housing Champions program through HB 1196.
For Concord, that puts real projects at risk. It also sends a message that even when communities follow the rules, invest their own money and plan for growth, the state might still walk away.
The program is careful and fair. Grants are awarded based on clear criteria. Cities and towns must cover at least a quarter of the cost. Projects must be ready to move and show that they will create homes for working people.
The results are strong. In 2024, Housing Champion communities approved nearly half of all new homes in New Hampshire. They include large cities and small towns, from the North Country to the Seacoast.
Basic infrastructure remains the biggest barrier to building housing. Only a small share of land in New Hampshire has modern water and sewer service, and much of it is old. Without upgrades, projects stall no matter how reasonable the plans may be.
Repealing the program also creates uncertainty. The state’s own analysis suggests that money already promised could be taken back. For a city planning long term projects, that kind of risk makes it harder to move forward.
Concord did what the state asked. It updated local rules. It put in local funds. It planned for growth.
The real question is whether the state will stand by communities that are trying to solve the housing shortage.
Concord has been a willing partner. The state should not walk away now. The stakes are too high.
Rep. Matthew Hicks represents Concord and is a member of the House Housing Committee. He has also been on the city’s planning board for over 17 years.