Hope in the face of homelessness
The Front Door Agency, a nonprofit that helps local families avoid and overcome homelessness, has kicked off its annual fundraiser, which last year helped 950 people in Greater Nashua, according to a press release. One of those people was Angela, a single mother from Nashua who had been involved in a series of unhealthy relationships and lost her full-time job, though even with her job she couldn’t afford rent. According to a New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority report, the cost to rent a two-bedroom unit in Hillsborough County is more than $1,600 per month, up 28 percent since 2016. “My daughter and I were literally facing homelessness,” Angela said in the release. “I’m motivated and educated. I could not believe it was happening to us.” After moving into one of the agency’s properties dedicated to single moms and their kids, Angela worked with a case manager to create financial goals. She is now working for a Fortune 500 company and makes enough to pay her bills and save money, her credit score is up, and she will leave Front Door Agency with the ability to afford market rent.
Score: +1
Comment: You can make donations at frontdooragency.org/giving.
That turkey’s gonna cost you
Enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner, because it’s going to be more expensive than last year’s. According to a report from WMUR, experts are saying lack of food isn’t an issue; it’s inflation that’s driving things up. The Farm Bureau reported that the average cost of a Thanksgiving meal for 10 people this year is $53.31, a 14 percent jump from last year. And the centerpiece of the meal is a big part of that; the average cost for a 16-pound turkey is almost $24, up 24 percent from last year, according to the report. Workforce shortage and disruptions to the supply chain are contributing to that increase, New Hampshire grocers told WMUR.
Score: -1
Comment:John Dumais, president of the New Hampshire Grocers Association, told WMUR that grocers would be “able to provide everything the consumer needs in one form or another.”
Beware of holiday scams
AARP NH State Director Todd Fahey is warning consumers about calls related to holiday scams, saying that “the gift-giving process … brings a plethora of opportunities for scammers to enrich themselves.” According to a press release, these opportunities can include online shopping scams, scams involving the draining of gift cards, and package and shipping scams. An AARP survey showed some of the risky behaviors of shoppers: For example, 69 percent of Americans will use their debit cards this season, but credit cards and digital wallets are safer when shopping online. Sixty percent will buy gift cards off the rack, which is a known target for scammers, according to the release.
Score: -1
Comment: “This holiday season, serve your holiday cheer with a side of skepticism to help stay safe from increasingly sophisticated scammers,” Fahey said in the release.
Tiny home appeal
New Hampshire is the 6th best state in the country to have a tiny home, according to IPX 1030, a Fidelity National Financial Company. The rankings are based on tiny home cost, cost of living, median income, park land coverage, annual average temperature as well as tiny home legality and regulations in every state. The Granite State has the 4th lowest cost of tiny homes, with the average being $34,950, according to the report.
Score: +1
Comment: Though homes in top-ranking Georgia and Texas are more expensive ($43,819 and $48,120, respectively), those states’ average daily temps (62.3 and 66 degrees) are likely more appealing than New Hampshire’s average of 44.5 degrees; QOL would imagine that living in such a small space makes being able to go outside a key factor.
QOL score: 77
Net change: 0
QOL this week: 77
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at [email protected].
