Finding A Home: Elizabeth Goodhue – Lots of jobs, but little affordable housing

What images or thoughts come to your mind when you think about homelessness?

Could it be someone on the street asking for money?

Is it someone you’d rather not have residing in your neighborhood?

Or is it about the barista who serves you coffee every morning before work? Or the spin instructor at the gym? Or your day care provider? Or a cashier at one of the many stores in Peterborough?

The initial two statements in this article perpetuate false stereotypes. People are probably without homes because their salaries are insufficient to cover living costs. According to Emmaline Soken-Huberty (Human Rights Careers), stagnant wages are the main reason for homelessness – “While the cost-of-living increases, wages haven’t. In the United States, the minimum wage has gone up around 350% since 1970. The Consumer Price Index has increased by over 480%. This makes it challenging to cover everyday living expenses, let alone save money for home-ownership down the line or emergencies. Without the ability to save money, an unexpected expense can devour a person’s income.”

According to nheconomy.com, “New Hampshire earns high marks in national rankings for health, education and children’s well-being. It is one of America’s top states to raise a family for these reasons.” U.S. News ranked New Hampshire No. 2 in their Best States Rankings this year. If you look up jobs in Peterborough, there are more than I wish to scroll through, ranging from nursery assistant at Agway, planning and building coordinator, multiple jobs at RiverMead and Scott Farrar, RNs, a bank teller, a chef and the list continues for pages.

Twelve Pine, Dunkin’ and Job Lot always have signs for employment displayed in their windows.

These jobs are the foundation of our community. These employees make your coffee, serve you delicious food, handle your money and help you decide what to buy. They bring people to Peterborough to spend money and to come back and spend more. They make Peterborough a great town to live in.

So where is everyone? Why aren’t young families flocking to live in our town with such an abundance of job opportunities? The answer? Lack of affordable housing  – rental or owner-occupied, that costs no more than 30% of one’s gross income. Peterborough might be one of the most-attractive towns in New Hampshire, but people looking for jobs in this area soon learn that they cannot afford to live here if they earn a minimum wage of $7.25 to $20 an hour.

In New Hampshire, other towns comparable to Peterborough have an annual uptick in rent ranging from 3% in Derry to 28% in Marlborough. According to rent.com, the average rent in New Hampshire for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,335. The average for a two-bedroom is $4,650. In December 2022, the two-bedroom average was $1,462.

The other day, I met a woman who was living in her car. She had a full- and part-time job, but over the past few years her rent climbed until it was twice what she paid originally. After paying for her last month of rent, she informed her landlord that she had to end her lease. Living in her car was the best solution. The food pantry was a resource, and she could shower at work. Unfortunately, when her employer realized she was living in her car, she lost her job, which is what brought her to MATS.

Fortunately, for her and people like her, Peterborough has a wealth of places to turn, including The River Center, Monadnock Family Services, the ConVal School District, Southern New Hampshire Services, Bridges in Bennington, town welfare, the Peterborough Food Bank and Monadnock Area Transitional Shelter.

These agencies interconnect, so that if one of them can’t help, they network to find one who can. Relying on these services is a Band-Aid approach to solving the homeless problem.

Catholic Charities hopes to break ground in July at 10 Vose Farm Road for 281 new housing units, 96 of which are affordable housing. However, that is not enough. Indeed reports that there are 12,916 jobs available in Peterborough. You may wonder why don’t the homeless people get a job, but that is not the point. They can get the jobs, but most of those jobs will not pay the rent for an average apartment in Peterborough.

Too many people are one paycheck away from becoming homeless. Let’s not let a lack of understanding of homelessness invoke myths and misunderstanding around this issue.

If you have items to donate, such as gift cards, diapers or toothpaste, please drop them off at Steele’s. Otherwise, you can send a check to P.O. Box 3053, Peterborough NH 03458, or go to matsnh.org. You can also call MATS at 603-924-5033.

Elizabeth Goodhue serves on the board of the Monadnock Area Transitional Shelter (MATS), which provides transitional housing, support and referral services to people who are experiencing homelessness, to educate the community on issues of homelessness and to advocate for solutions.