u/nhpublicradio

We hope it's OK to share this article we just published — it seemed like it might be of interest to folks in this community.

SNAP enrollment dropped by about 3% in New Hampshire from June 2025 to June 2026, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Last summer’s federal reconciliation bill significantly restricted the program, barring most legal immigrants from accessing benefits, implementing more stringent work requirements and making states take on an increased share of the costs in future years.

Without benefits, people are turning to their local food pantries, which experts say have been struggling to keep up with the growing need. Laura Milliken, who leads New Hampshire Hunger Solutions, said the charitable food system is already “overburdened.”

“There's just no way that the charitable food system is going to be able to pick up the slack,” she said. The charitable food system offers recipients fewer choices than SNAP and is less reliable since it depends on donations to function, Milliken said.

Click the link above to learn more.

We hope it's OK to share this article we just published — it seemed like it might be of interest to folks in this community.

Most Granite Staters will see a jump between $6 and $18 in their monthly electricity bills starting Aug. 1, as the Public Utilities Commission has approved rate increases from the three investor-owned utilities and the Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire.

This year, the war with Iran and extreme cold spells this winter are contributing to higher electricity costs across the Northeast this fall. Locally, this is the first full year utilities have had to follow a new way to set rates, which advocates say is leaving customers increasingly squeezed.

How will these conditions impact electricity bills for residential customers in the Granite State? And why may they look different for different utility customers? NHPR has answers to some frequently asked questions about the upcoming changes.

Click the link above to learn more.

We hope it's OK to share this story we just published — it seemed like it might be of interest to folks in this community.

Summer camp gave Samuel Habib, who uses a wheelchair and communication device, an independence and confidence he’d never known. He went on to create two Emmy-award winning films documenting his journey with disabilities. Now Habib is making those films and a discussion guide free to non-profit summer camps and programs across the country.

“I hope camps, schools and colleges who watch this film will commit to include disabled students alongside their non-disabled peers,” Habib said. “All of my schools have been inclusive, and that made a big impact on my education and led to my life now as a filmmaker.”

Click the link above to read more.

We hope it's OK to share this story we just published — it seemed like it might be of interest to folks in this community.

A manufactured home community in Albany, New Hampshire is now owned by the people who live there. In June the residents of Albany Acres bought the property from former owner Patrick Houghton of Ranger Properties LLC.

“They purchase the land and infrastructure underneath their homes, and they run it as a democratic business in perpetuity afterwards,” Sarah Marchant said.

She is the chief operating officer and senior vice president of the resident-owned communities program at the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, which provided financing and business coaching to the Albany Acres residents.

Marchant likened Albany Acres’ new operation to a small municipality — members of Albany Acres will elect a board of directors annually and vote on a budget that includes capital improvements and daily operations. They still pay rent on their lots, but now, members have to approve all rent increases.

Click the link above to read more.