The Peterborough Affordable Housing Committee will present the short film “What is Workforce Housing?” on Saturday, Oct. 19, at noon and 1 p.m. at Peterborough Community Theatre. Admission is free, and all are welcome.

The film features students from the ConVal theater department acting out a comic book from New Hampshire Housing Authority that explains workforce housing in New Hampshire. The project came about as a joint effort by the PAHC and the Peterborough Planning and Building Office to engage the public in a conversation about workforce housing.

“There are so many challenging, outdated beliefs and misconceptions about workforce housing. We are trying to educate people about what it is and what it means for Peterborough,” said Bonnie Tucker of the PAHC. “We thought this would be a great way to address people’s concerns and questions and explain what workforce housing really is.”

The question-and-answer session following the film will include Ben Michaud, the student adapter of the comic book and director at ConVal; Jeff Lekovich, executive director of real estate and housing for Catholic Charities of New Hampshire; Tim Steele, founder and CEO of Microspec Corporation; Peter Sirois, principal of American Steel Fabricators; Trisha Cheever, energy and community planner for the Town of Peterborough; and Carl Staley, chair of the Peterborough Planning Board and vice chair of the Affordable Housing Committee.

Tucker noted that the income threshold to qualify for workforce housing in New Hampshire is $115,800 for a family of four purchasing a home. For a family renting, the threshold is 60% of $115,800.

“This is not low-cost housing, and it’s not low-income housing. This is housing for people with jobs who cannot afford the market rate because of the housing shortage,” Tucker said. “This event will give people an opportunity to ask questions and engage.”

According to Director of Planning and Building Danica Melone, the only workforce housing project in progress in Peterborough is on Vose Farm Road, as the approvals for both the Old Stone Barn and Union Street projects have expired.

One planned workforce housing project in Peterborough at the Stone Barn on Old Street Road recently fell through, leaving Peterborough with just one proposed workforce housing project, on Union Street. 

“People confuse workforce housing with subsidized housing. There are so many old stereotypes,” said Staley. “We are looking at creating  a broad range of housing for people who need it, and trying to meet the needs of the workforce. Right now, Peterborough has a 0% rental vacancy rate.” 

While searching for ways to educate the public about workforce housing in New Hampshire, the PAHC came across the “What is Workforce Housing?” comic book on the website of the Sunapee Valley Housing Authority.

“We thought it explained workforce housing in a really great way. It’s neighbors having a conversation, and they’re a little worried about workforce housing coming into their neighborhood, and what it might mean and how it might impact them, and they talk it through,” Tucker said.

According to Tucker, the PAHC began to discuss ways to “bring the pamphlet to life.” Last spring, the PAHC reached out to Elizabeth Moore of the ConVal theater department to see if her students would be interested in acting out the comic. After Michaud adapted the screenplay, a group of student actors presented the show on June 8, with Michaud directing.

“This project was an amazing opportunity for our students to support the community and engage in a problem-solving real-world challenge in an actively authentic way,” Moore said.

Acting in the film (in order of appearance) are Lukas Baker, Amanda Bergeron, Logainne Mackensen, Aramis Olivo and Annaliese Strong. Moore was the faculty mentor. PAHC received a grant from NH Housing and hired a production company, DRUM, to film the play.

“Then, we decided to have a premiere of the film,” Tucker said. “We thought Peak Into Peterborough would be a perfect time. People will be walking around downtown, and it’s a very short film. People can just stop in, watch the film, take part in the Q&A.”

The panel following the film represents members from multiple groups working toward workforce housing in Peterborough, including representatives from New Hampshire Housing Authority, Catholic Charities, the Peterborough Planning Office and the Peterborough Renewable Energy Project, as well as representatives from the region’s largest employers.

“There will be folks from Microspec, from American Steel, and from other companies in the region who are stakeholders in workforce housing. These employers are in a situation where they can’t attract employees because people can’t find housing in this area,” Staley said.

“We constantly check in with the area’s large employers, and there are currently about 200 jobs that these employers can’t fill because there is no housing,” Tucker said. “Our committee is working with employers, developers, and the community to demystify workforce housing. We are really focused on community engagement and information; ultimately, it will be up to the voters.”

Information about the Peterborough Affordable Housing Committee is available at peterboroughnh.gov/government/boards_and_committees/economic_development_authority/affordable_housing_subcommittee.php.