Southeast NH Habitat for Humanity

Through shelter, we build up communities and residents of New Hampshire!

The State of New Hampshire (NH) and the Greater Seacoast community was introduced to Southeast NH (SENH) Habitat for Humanity in 1994, when it was founded as a 501 (c) 3, nonprofit organization; agreeing to organize and operate solely to fulfill our charitable mission which is to eliminate poverty housing in Southeast NH.

Affordable Homeownership Program:

We are thrilled to have officially broken ground in December 2025 on a brand-new construction project at 40 Front Street in Rochester, NH. Our organization is excited to welcome two new partner families into the Southeast New Hampshire Habitat for Humanity community. This milestone marks an exciting and transformative moment for our organization.

This project is especially meaningful as it will be our first-ever Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) home build. Through a national partnership between Habitat for Humanity International and the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association (NRMCA)—a commitment to help build 50 homes in 50 states—SENH Habitat has been selected as the New Hampshire affiliate to participate in this innovative initiative. We are honored that New Hampshire is now part of this nationwide effort.

This multi-family, energy-efficient condex will be made possible through the generous collaboration of key partners, including Service Credit Union Impact Foundation, NRMCA, Groen Construction, Nudura, and Atlantic Building Supply. To prepare for this opportunity, our team has invested in ICF training and site visits to other affiliates to ensure we are building safely, efficiently, and to the highest standards.

At a time when fundraising remains challenging across the nonprofit sector, this opportunity represents both incredible promise and real financial pressure. While we have successfully raised approximately half of the total funding needed, those funds will not be available until July 2026, creating a gap in the upfront capital required to move the project forward.

Despite these challenges, we remain deeply committed to seeing this build through and delivering safe, sustainable homes for two local families. With the support of our partners and community, we are confident we can overcome this hurdle and bring this innovative housing solution to life.

Community Toolbox Fix-It Repair Program:

Community Toolbox  provides critical home repairs for the safety and well-being of our clients. Home repairs are focused on three areas - safety, health, and accessibility and we use certified professionals (who volunteer their time) to complete any Fix-It jobs that require licensure. We train volunteers for other jobs and carry insurance on them as required by the State.

Just like the old days of "Yankee Barn Raising," our trained volunteers give their time to help neighbors in need by completing critical home repairs to promote the basic dignities of safety, health and accessibility.  We strive to bring communities and volunteers together to improve the homes and lives of homeowners in need by providing small, affordable home repairs for the safety and well-being of our residents. 

Our organization runs on two things: time and money. Like many nonprofits, we receive no government funding, and we fundraise all the money necessary to provide small home repairs for people in need. Community Toolbox completed 50+ safety repair projects over the last 18 months. 

Our amazing group of volunteers work to do whatever we can to ensure our clients are safe. If a client has a need that we are not certified or staffed to perform, we work with the client to connect them with someone who can. Some specific examples of work we cover with our Fix-It program include:  

- Constructing wheelchair ramps for clients who can’t get in and out of their home.

- Building exterior stairs and handrails to improve the safety and accessibility of home entrances/exits.

- Sealing or replacing drafty windows or doors to keep clients warm in the winter.

- Replacing faulty faucets to stop leaks which could have caused greater damage in the future.

- Installing grab bars or other handicap accessible measures for peace of mind in their bathrooms.

Community Toolbox partners with local referring agencies (such as Community Action Programs, Community Partners, and Senior/Veteran Services) who vet the financial need of potential clients, and they refer them to us. We continue to increase the number of agencies who refer to us and the number of volunteers we have on our fit-it team to increase the number of projects we can complete.