Jennifer Chisholm

Dear Committee Chair and Honorable Members of the Committee, My name is Jennifer Chisholm, and I am a proud resident of Ward 4 in Manchester. I am writing in opposition of HB 1293, which will tax properties owned by charitable nonprofit organizations. While I am writing this testimony as a private citizen and tax payer, not as a representative of an organization, I will not that I have worked in homelessness and housing in NH for over 20 years, and currently work at the systems level to help address homelessness in the Granite State. NH is a state that is exceptionally reliant on federal dollars to fund the work of so many of our amazing nonprofits. Currently, much of that funding is under serious threat. For example, historically, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guaranteed that states would receive at least 90% of its previous funding cycle's funds when renewing project applications for Continuum of Care funds (which provides money to house people experiencing homelessness, along with some homelessness prevention money, etc.) If an agency received $1,000,000 in 2023, they knew they'd be awarded *at least* $900,000 in 2024.. So - with a guaranteed renewal fund rate of at least 90%, NH nonprofits knew that their programming would remain stable. In this year's application process, the administration lowered the guarantee from 90% to only 30%. According to the new guidelines, that same agency who knew they would receive at least $900,000 in renewal funds can now only bank on getting $300,000. HUD also stated that the leftover money will be put into a competitive funding process in which NH will have to compete against all of the other applicants in the nation to try and recoup any of the difference. This is *not* a formula for stability! With NH's nonprofits facing unprecedented, legitimate funding threats like this from their federal grant sources, the passage of HB 1293's proposal to repeal the charitable property tax exemption would be especially harmful. I implore the members of the committee to consider the current national funding landscape, and the financial stress it threatens to cause our state and our nonprofits when considering the impacts of this bill. I respectfully ask you to please vote in opposition to HB 1293. Sincerely, Jennifer Chisholm Manchester