This month found me making two trips to Concord to testify at House and Senate hearings about the the lack of housing for adults with disabilities. I had never testified in person regarding a Bill and found the process both interesting and a tad frustrating. The Bill that we were there to testify in favor of is to create a commission to study housing needs for adults with disabilities in New Hampshire. Currently there are reportedly over 4500 disabled adults living with their families because the state does not have safe/stable housing options to meet the needs of these citizens. The commission to study the problem is the first step in coming up with solutions to meet the looming need.
In preparation to testify, the parent group that I am part of was advised that we should keep our testimony to 2 and 1/2 minutes. Trying to summarize the need for Micah and his peers to have stable housing choices within that time frame was a challenge. Fortunately, I took my too long first draft to my son Josh and his wife Jes to review. Jes kindly reformatted my draft and cut out just enough so when read, it was 2 minutes and 31 seconds. I figured I could get in one extra second, but found when I went to testify that there was no timer to beep us out if we went over our allotted time. In fact, for the most part, the chairperson of both the House and the Senate hearings let those who wanted to testify share their full testimony with no time limits.
After introducing myself, I opened with this paragraph:
“I am here today representing a parent group that most people would not want to join: Parents who hope we live longer than our children because we fear for their care when we are no longer alive. I am part of a parent group, connected through the Moore Center, who have been exploring housing options here and in other states with the goal of creating viable options for this highly vulnerable population. Having solid numbers for the upcoming need, as well as a plan for New Hampshire to move forward is crucial for the future of our children”.
Parent after parent shared their similar stories. I was especially impressed with the testimony of one young adult with Down syndrome who shared his desire for a home with peers, where he can be independent, but live near to his parents. One 75 year old father struggled to hold back tears as he shared his fears for his daughter who still lives at home with him and his wife, both who have concerning health issues. Clearly, New Hampshire is long overdue in addressing this housing crisis.
The process is frustratingly slow, however we were encouraged when the Senate committee voted to move our Bill forward before we left the session. Now we wait on the House committee to vote, then the full House and Senate votes. All this just to get a study to get current numbers and to start to come up with more housing options. But it is a start and I may be calling on those of you who live in New Hampshire to make some calls to your representatives when it comes time for the final votes. Meanwhile, please keep our group in prayer as we seek to create positive housing options so our children can age in place with parents who can sleep at night knowing we have done our best to secure their futures.
Jan Lessard Peightell February 21, 2024