Jeff Feingold has been serving on CATCH’s board of directors since April 2019 but has been writing about and following CATCH’s activities since its founding. He was invited to join the board by the late Rosemary Heard and he was flattered and eager to take part in CATCH’s essential work.
As the editor of New Hampshire Business Review, Jeff brings a unique perspective to the board and has been researching and writing about housing issues for decades.
“I remember first writing about affordable housing in New Hampshire in the 1990s,” said Jeff. “Unfortunately, at that time the problem didn’t make it to the top of our public policy agenda. But over the years, especially in the last decade as our affordable housing problem has become a crisis, the issue is now seen as something that has to be addressed and can’t be ignored. I’ve also been struck by the coalition that has formed to address this – housing advocates, the real estate and construction industries and business groups, among others – and has finally gotten the appropriate attention and understanding required from elected officials.”
Jeff supports CATCH for many reasons but he says first, the housing industry is an essential piece of New Hampshire’s economy; when it thrives, so does the state’s economy. But adequate housing, and the lack of it, is also at the root of a wide range of social and cultural problems, as we have seen only too clearly in the last decade.
“I have long believed that every person should have a good, affordable place to live,” explained Jeff. “Housing is at the heart of creating a just, decent society and also can serve as a means to substantially attack so many issues facing us today – poverty, homelessness, lack of education, unemployment, and public health, to name a few.”
The most beneficial thing he’s seen from being on CATCH’s board in recent years is that he’s watched and admired so many committed people devoting themselves to addressing something that is so important for us as a society to focus on.
We couldn’t agree more, Jeff! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us and advancing affordable housing issues across our state!
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