Affordability and Access

Wendy Larson for New Hampshire State Representative Rockingham District 19, serving Kensington and Hampton Falls

Ask anyone in Kensington or Hampton Falls what keeps them up at night and you will hear the same list: the cost of a home, the cost of child care, the electric bill, and the cost of seeing a doctor. Wendy Larson hears it at every door. She spent her career helping local businesses solve hard problems, and she wants to put that experience to work on these.

A home your kids can afford

The typical New Hampshire home now costs close to $600,000. Buying one takes an income of about $160,000, far above what the typical household earns. Too many young people who grew up here cannot afford to come back, and too many older neighbors cannot find a smaller place in town.

Wendy supports the state doing more to help towns add homes for working families, and she is open to good ideas wherever they come from. She sees families in Hampton Falls and Kensington successfully having ADUs added to their homes, bringing generations together, which is a great step forward. She also supports bringing back the NH Housing Champions program that successfully encouraged cities and builders to develop more affordable housing choices. She also would support more funding to the NH Finance Authority to provide more affordable loans to NH families as well as accessing federal funds to help working families achieve a better future here in the Granite State.

Childcare that does not cost a second mortgage

A New Hampshire couple with two young children spends about a quarter of their income on child care. More than 120 licensed programs have closed since 2017. Parents who want to work are being priced out of it.

Wendy supports more state funding for child care providers and a higher minimum wage to help recruit more child care workers. She would also put steady state dollars behind child care scholarships, so the help families count on does not depend on federal funds. The lack of child care facilities and child care workers in NH has created an added stress and burden for young families to make NH their home. Wendy will work hard and smart for solutions.

Electric bills you can plan around

Electric rates jumped again in August, adding about $22 a month for a typical Unitil household.

Wendy is putting solar on her own home this Fall, and she wants more families and businesses to be able to do the same and get a fair return for the power they produce. New Hampshire lags behind our neighboring New England states in inviting large solar projects to invest here. There is zero incentive for large solar or wind projects to be a part of the energy solution in NH. Wendy will also work to offer incentives to these companies as well as expand opportunities for homeowners to create energy efficiencies in their own homes.

She also will seek a moratorium on AI data center construction in NH. The State needs to create some guidelines on data center creation that includes local input and making clear that the electrical cost as well as use of the land and water is not to the detriment of our towns.

Health care within reach

Wendy believes no one in New Hampshire should have to choose between a prescription and a grocery bill. She will stand up for neighbors who rely on Medicaid and on children's health coverage.

What you will notice

More ways to stay in the town you love at every stage of life. More child care openings and more help paying for them. An electric bill with fewer surprises. And a representative who measures every bill by one question: does it make life more affordable for the people who live here?

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