A few weeks ago, in Peterborough, I attended a Community Conversation on housing insecurity and homelessness. The purpose of this meeting was to open a discussion on housing issues facing communities in the region. I left with many questions and decided to approach those in Wilton who are familiar with the issues. I wanted to know what help was already in place and what, if any, immediate and future remedies were in the works, and what problems lay in the way of success.
I met first with Janice Pack, Wilton’s deputy Town Administrator and human resources director and welfare director for both Wilton and Antrim. She, like many town welfare directors, does not live in the communities she serves for the sake of the privacy of those requesting services. What I learned only heightened my frustration for those seeking housing.
In answer to my questions, Janice said, “Most housing is unaffordable for those with low-paying or even modestly-paying jobs, many elderly on fixed incomes, those on SSI or those disabled and on SSDI, with this last option only available if a person has previously paid into the Social Security system for the required length of time. It is especially difficult for those with no transportation. These groups reflect many of the people in our region.”
She continued, “We also have people living in cars, often in campgrounds, but these close in the winter. We’re lucky to not have a huge homeless population, but the count of how many is unknown. We work with the police, fire and library to try to locate and help those in need in both Wilton and Antrim.
“We do offer a few forms of rental and other assistance. The first step is to know what help is available. It is becoming harder to get the word out to those needing assistance. The next step is to come in and fill out an application and answer a lot of questions. One thing I want to emphasize is that welfare assistance must be sustainable, meaning that rent and other expenses must be realistically low enough for the person to live on what is received without needing other help. Unfortunately, the rents charged are often greater than an individual or family can afford, even with this help; $1200 per month is now the top of what is considered affordable. It is rare to find anything, especially for a family, that approaches this range.
“We also provide some supplemental food assistance through Share and the Wilton Open Cupboard Food Pantry and fuel assistance through Southern New Hampshire Services, but won’t know until Dec. 1 what’s available. The minimum delivery is 100 gallons.”
She said, “In Antrim, the Grapevine provides many resources for Antrim residents, for which the town is thankful.”
She added, “The only really affordable housing is subsidized housing and that often has long waiting lists lasting many years. There is no short-term affordable housing in our area for those with immediate needs. And for someone in the Wilton or Antrim areas, there is no public transportation and only a few walkable jobs for those wanting to add to their income, or even to food shop.”
“If I could ask for one immediate step to help those in the Wilton area, including those senior citizens aging-in-place, it would be access to public transportation. This would mean access to food and other necessities and a broader range of subsidized housing. The only subsidized housing in Wilton is the Edgewater Apartments. Without public transportation, living there is very difficult for those without a car. But I think the thing that would help the most is to incentivize the construction of low-cost housing. The town is working on a project that will help.”
At that point, Caryn Case, Wilton’s land use administrator, stepped in. Janice pointed out that although there is public transportation from Nashua to Walmart in Amherst, if it continued to Wilton, this would mean those living in Edgewater and other subsidized housing communities in Milford could more easily shop. They both agreed that a bus or van, running twice a week with a stop at Edgewater and one in Milford, would only take approximately 20 minutes to return to Walmart. Now the only transport available is the Blue Bus. Operated by Souhegan Valley Rides and the Nashua Transit System, the Blue Bus helps residents—especially seniors and those with disabilities—remain independent and engaged in their communities. The service provides transportation for shopping as well as medical appointments. Rides cost $2 each way and must be scheduled at least two business days in advance by calling the Nashua Transit dispatch center at 603-880-0100, ext. 2.
Caryn and I continued the conversation in her office, where I asked her to describe the housing projects being undertaken in Wilton. She said, “The town is taking the issue of affordable housing quite seriously. The state has made it possible that for every parcel of land, owner-driven permits are available for construction of a detached Additional Dwelling Unit (ADU.) These can have up to 950 square feet of living space, exclusive of a garage, deck or basement, but must meet water and sewer requirements.” She added, “Wilton is in the process of adapting the state requirements to fit the needs of the town. They can be more strict than state regulations, but not less strict.”
She went on to explain that a recent Wilton Planning Board project dedicated to affordable workforce housing is the designation of an Adaptive Reuse Overlay District. This includes identifying industrial properties served by town water and sewer, where the second and third floors of old mill buildings, where commerce and light industry take place, may be adapted to serve workforce and other housing needs. The Invest New Hampshire Housing Opportunity Grant Foundation has offered housing rehabilitation grants that could be used to upgrade these buildings for multi-family residential use to form this overlay district. The town is doing the initial work to make this attractive for development by interested parties who want to take advantage of this grant funding.
The need for more housing is a very high priority for the town, judging from the results of the recent survey of Wilton residents conducted by the Economic Development team. This information will be used by the Planning Board when dealing with future planning issues. Caryn added that she uses information from the New Hampshire Municipal Association as a tool to keep informed about the changing housing picture in New Hampshire and what resources may be available for towns like Wilton.
In summation, she stated, “This is only the beginning of what’s possible to help ease obtainable and affordable housing concerns, with the availability of public transportation being another component in determining how many people can successfully be served.”
Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that the Blue Bus provides transportation for both medical appointments and shopping trips.