CONCORD, N.H. (September 28, 2026) – Granite Staters from across New Hampshire reached broad agreement on six approaches to addressing the state’s housing challenges following three days of deliberation at the New Hampshire Forum Civic Assembly in Concord.
Each of the six housing policy directives received support from at least 70% of delegates, who were randomly selected to reflect New Hampshire’s geographic, economic, and political diversity. The recommendations will now be developed into legislative proposals for consideration during the 2027 New Hampshire legislative session.
The Civic Assembly, held at the Grappone Conference Center, brought delegates together to learn about housing affordability, availability and homeownership, hear from independent subject matter experts, and work through potential solutions with nonpartisan facilitators.
The process produced agreement on issues ranging from housing infrastructure and manufactured homes to zoning, preservation of existing housing and housing stability.
“I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I got here,” said John DePaulis of Nashua. “We all arrived as strangers from different parts of the state but quickly began working together to absorb a lot of information and hear different perspectives. We didn’t always agree 100 percent, but by the end of three days, I think we came up with some real solutions to hand over to the Legislature. I’m excited to see what they do with them.”
Six Housing Policy Directives Approved
Delegates approved six housing policy directives, each receiving support from at least 70% of the Civic Assembly. Each directive is supported by more detailed policy actions developed during the assembly, which will be published shortly by the New Hampshire Forum.
The six policy goals (summarized), listed by level of delegate support, are:
84% Support - Expand water, sewer and public transportation infrastructure to increase affordable housing supply.
82% Support - Increase manufactured and pre-built homes to expand affordable housing options.
79% Support - Increase housing supply and help keep existing housing sustainable and affordable so people can remain in New Hampshire.
73% Support - Expand affordable housing options and access.
70% Support - Increase access to housing that fits people’s needs and financial resources.
70% Support - Improve education, access and accountability for housing stability.
For many delegates, the discussion was grounded in their own experiences with New Hampshire’s housing challenges.
“My son is a pilot who also teaches at a flight school. He works tirelessly, and yet homeownership is something he can’t even dream of affording right now. That’s what makes this issue so real for me,” said Gina Offenstine of Laconia. “What’s been refreshing about these three days is how different the conversation has been from the housing debate you often see and hear on social media. We’ve been able to move beyond the politics, listen to each other’s experiences and focus on solutions that could help real people like my son.”
The assembly was designed to encourage delegates to consider different perspectives and identify areas of broad agreement rather than require unanimous agreement.
“Housing is a big issue in Sullivan County, where we have a higher-than-average poverty rate and limited public transportation can make finding affordable housing even more challenging,” said Amy Coleman of Newport. “Our group really dug into those issues and had some tough but respectful conversations. Not every idea moved forward, but we worked through our differences and found consensus around expanding infrastructure and public transportation to support more affordable housing. We brought that proposal to the full group, and it passed.”
Danielle Van Dusen of Ossipee said the ability of delegates to disagree respectfully was one of the things that stood out to her during the assembly.
“One thing that surprised me was just how invested everyone was in the issue, and how passionately people could share their opinions and experiences while still remaining respectful,” Van Dusen said. “These are hard conversations, but they’re important ones. We worked hard to find common ground, and it’s amazing to see how much we actually have in common and can agree on when we focus on getting things done. The process reminded me how much power ordinary people have when we listen to understand, take responsibility for being civically engaged, and work together to make change.”
The Civic Assembly marked the culmination of a months-long statewide process that included digital participation, a Youth Summit held at UNH and in-person Community Conversations across New Hampshire. Housing was identified by Granite Staters through that public process as the issue for the Forum’s Civic Assembly.
“The process has been both impressive and inspiring,” said Barry Nestor of Milford. “It’s great to see people from all across New Hampshire come together to discuss an important issue like housing that affects all of us in some way. This is the kind of conversation we need more of, and it’s especially meaningful knowing that the work of regular citizens here will help shape an actual piece of legislation.”
NEXT STEPS & LEGISLATIVE DELIVERABLE
The policy directives and detailed policy actions crafted during the civic assembly will be compiled into an official set of legislative recommendations and presented directly to New Hampshire state lawmakers ahead of the 2027 legislative session. From there, the work will begin to craft legislation for the upcoming 2027 session - an effort to be led by The NH Forum’s bipartisan group of Legislative Advisors.
This landmark event serves as the culmination of a months-long statewide civic effort that began with digital consultations and Community Conversations across New Hampshire, providing a proven model for collaborative, cross-partisan, citizen-led governance.
DELEGATE EXPERIENCE & PARTICIPATION
A post-assembly survey of 55 delegates found broad satisfaction with the Civic Assembly process across political affiliations. Ninety-three percent of delegates gave high marks to the fairness of the decision-making process, while 98% gave similarly high marks to the neutrality of the moderators. Ninety-five percent said they expect The New Hampshire Forum to have a positive impact on the state.
The survey also found that delegates left the assembly with more positive views of those across the political aisle. The share who viewed people from the opposing party neutrally or positively increased from 47% before the assembly to 64% afterward.
Furthermore, three-quarters of the delegates immediately signed up to become NH Forum Champions, in order to help advance the Civic Assembly’s work as its recommendations move forward.
For more information about The New Hampshire Forum, to sign up for the mailing list, and to read the full delegate recommendations upon release, visit nhforum.us.
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