Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit group that uses volunteer labor to build homes for low-income families, has chapters in New Hampshire, but little local action.
Four Habitat for Humanity chapters serve a number of local communities, but none of the chapters have ever built a home in this area.
Land is often donated to a local chapter, which then chooses a family to live there and, with volunteers, builds the home. The families have to give a down payment and pay a no-interest loan, which goes toward future Habitat for Humanity houses. More than 250,000 houses have been built internationally by the organization in the last 32 years.
Just 50 of those houses have gone up in the Granite State.
But in Southern New Hampshire, no land has been donated, and it's too expensive to purchase, according to local officials. That's why no houses are going up, despite a need for them.
Derry and Londonderry are covered by the Greater Manchester Habitat for Humanity chapter. That group is in the process of building its first home in 10 years, and it's in Manchester, according to Ron Dyer, the administrative director.
"Basically, the challenge for just about every chapter is finding affordable property," he said. "When it's not there, then there isn't any opportunity to build."
Fundraising is ongoing, but Dyer said money and land are always the greatest needs. The affiliate will always take volunteers, but without land and materials, there isn't much for those volunteers to do.
Homes built by Habitat for Humanity usually cost between $70,000 and $100,000, he said. Tacking on another $100,000 to buy land at market value isn't feasible, Dyer said.
The families Habitat for Humanity chooses for homes earn 25 percent to 50 percent of the median income for the given area, he said. There are thousands of New Hampshire residents in that income bracket, but few places for those people to rent, according to Jane Law, spokeswoman for the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority.
In New Hampshire, a family of three in the 30 percent median income bracket earns about $20,000, she said. A family in the 50 percent bracket makes about $33,600.
There's a need for more housing for these families, she said. They can only afford between 1.1 percent and 25 percent of the rental housing available in the state, Law said.
"That 1 percent could be up in Berlin," she said. "It's doubtful that's ... in the southern tier of the state."
And that's exactly where Habitat for Humanity projects are limited. The Greater Seacoast chapter, which includes Kingston, has built one house in 11 years.
The Merrimack Valley chapter in Lawrence, Mass., added Atkinson, Plaistow and Salem to its coverage area in 2004. A number of volunteers come from those communities, but all of the chapter's building projects are in Massachusetts, according to Jodi Weeks, director of resource development.
"Although we would love to expand into those areas, we've never actually built a home in those towns," she said.
There are a couple families from Salem on a mailing list to be notified when applications are available, Weeks said.
The issue, as it is for Greater Manchester, is land. The chapter has built 57 homes in Massachusetts since 1976, most recently in Lawrence, where land often is donated to the organization, Weeks said.
"I'm confident that if we could get a hold of property in New Hampshire, we would absolutely love to acquire it," she said. "Certainly, I think one of our favorite phone calls would say, 'I have an acre too much, and I would love to give it to you.' But that hasn't happened yet."
When a piece of land is acquired in an area, that chapter may be inundated with requests.
There are about 48,000 New Hampshire residents whose annual income is between $25,000 and $35,000, Law said. About 45,000 families earn $15,000 to $25,000 a year, she said.
Low-income families in Danville, Hampstead, Newton or Sandown don't have a chance to try for a Habitat for Humanity home because those towns aren't covered by any chapter.
Habitat for Humanity's position on the gap is that it's up to residents to fill it. The organization has 1,600 community affiliates that build in partnership with low-income families, public relations specialist Nakia Fowler said.
"For those communities that do not have an existing Habitat for Humanity affiliate, concerned citizens are encouraged to address the problem of substandard housing in their community by starting a local Habitat for Humanity affiliate," she said.
But even for the areas that are covered, it's a slow process all around.
The downtown Manchester project is only worked on once a week and won't be done until the end of summer. Then the search for property will start again, Dyer said. But there won't be any money left over, so timing will depend on how long it takes to raise money, he said.
When they finally start taking applications again, odds won't be in favor of Derry and Londonderry residents.
"It is a possibility to move, but preference is given to people who live and work here," Dyer said.
Local Habitat for Humanity chapters
Town%Chapter%Phone number
Atkinson%Merrimack Valley%978-681-8858
Derry%Greater Manchester%626-3944
Kingston%Greater Seacoast%773-9801
Londonderry%Greater Manchester%626-3944
Pelham%Greater Nashua%883-0295
Plaistow%Merrimack Valley%978-681-8858
Salem%Merrimack Valley%978-681-8858
Windham%Greater Nashua%883-0295
