New Hampshire has a new tool to help facilitate affordable housing rentals across the state: an online network connecting property owners to individuals and households receiving rental assistance.
KeyConnect NH, the network launched by nonprofit Granite United Way, provides a centralized place to browse available units, acting as a bridge between landlords and organizations helping individuals and families secure affordable places to live.
It’s a reworked, expanded version of the organization’s affordable housing incentive initiative, which began five years ago during the pandemic as a means of reducing the number of people who couldn’t afford to move out of shelters. Granite United Way began connecting landlords with assistance programs to make their rentals more affordable, according to Senior Director of Housing Initiatives Kara Rodenhizer.
The program left a few gaps, she said. For instance, landlords weren’t always posting their units and were often only spreading rentals by word of mouth. Granite United Way also had to play an active role in connecting those renting with service organizations helping people rent. Now, KeyConnect NH provides a listing platform, powered by the software Padmission, and removes the necessity of a middle person.
“Our partners can see, in real time, the units that are available, can apply, can see pictures of units and everything like that. So it’s much more user-friendly,” Rodenhizer said.
Over the past five years, Granite United Way has worked to better understand the barriers that prevent landlords from participating in affordable housing initiatives. For instance, Rodenhizer said, some may not know how to access financial resources to offset repair costs for meeting voucher standards. Others had concerns about tenant suitability.
“Initially, it’s about understanding where a landlord is coming from and their experience, and very delicately educating them on the issues and perhaps some of the stigma that might be like playing a role in why they make a sweeping generalization to an entire population,” Rodenhizer said.
As it turns out, more people may need affordable housing than one might think, especially if current trends continue. Last week, New Hampshire Housing released a report called “Who Can Afford to Live in New Hampshire?” The report explored housing costs in relation to income, pointing to rising prices outpacing increasing incomes as a predominant reason for housing struggles.
Credit: NH Housing / Courtesy
Some findings:
- Four out of five current homeowners are priced out of the state’s median sale price of $545,000.
- Of all the people renting in New Hampshire’s housing market, only 4% said they could afford to purchase a home at the median sale price.
- The median sale price of a home is 70% higher in 2025 than it was a mere five years ago.
Two hurdles to housing are supply and affordability, as outlined in the report.
“We’re seeing affordability affecting folks who maybe 10 years ago were just fine, and now they’re, for the first time, housing insecure,” Rodenhizer said.
Accessibility is another big issue, especially as the population continues to age. The demand for accessible first-floor units outpaces the supply, according to Rodenhizer.
Since the housing incentive program launched five years ago, Granite United Way has housed over 500 people, a large portion of whom had some sort of criminal record or unfavorable rental history, Rodenhizer said. The organization and its partners also work to help house survivors of domestic abuse.
“What we have found to be very effective is putting all the cards on the table with the landlord, and being honest,” she said. “This person does have a felony. They might not even be eligible for a Housing Choice Voucher, but it’s been two years since that criminal arrest or offense.”
Explaining what a prospective renter is doing now and what supports they have in place, as well as offering the contact information of their case manager or agency, has helped significantly, she added.
KeyConnect NH means Granite United Way can expand the scope of its housing work.
“Really, any social service provider or nonprofit agency that is working with homeless or housing-insecure individuals or doing any support around housing search can have access to the platform,” Rodenhizer said.
The listing site, accessible only to property owners/managers and the service organizations connecting people to them, currently has 66 units listed across the state, in addition to 75 property managers/landlords and 31 agencies registered, with more joining soon.
The state needs to look at how to make housing more affordable, especially given increased costs, Rodenhizer said.
“I know that folks say no more than 30% of your income should go towards housing, but I even wonder at times, is 30% the right number? Because if you’re looking at like the full picture, there’s childcare, student loans, and I’m not sure those numbers work today,” she said.
For more information about KeyConnect NH, visit https://keyconnectnh.org/.
A display of maximum home price affordable to NH households. Credit: NH Housing / Courtesy
A graph displaying the share of renter households spending more than 30% of their income on housing, by income range. Credit: NH Housing / Courtesy
A comparison of median household income and home prices for single-family homes in NH in current dollars from 1998 to June of 2025. Credit: NH Housing / Courtesy
