Shaheen Continues “Affordability Action Tour,” Highlights Federal Funding She Secured to Expand Access to Affordable Housing in Laconia, Renovate Franklin High School

(Laconia, NH) – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) continued her “Affordability Action Tour” to highlight her efforts to lower costs for hardworking families struggling to afford everyday essentials by visiting a project that she secured federal funding for to expand affordable housing in Laconia. Shaheen also visited Franklin High School to discuss funding she secured to strengthen education infrastructure. Laconia’s Normandin Square Apartments is the latest stop in Shaheen’s “Affordability Action Tour,”which launchedlast August to hear from Granite Staters about what needs to be done to tackle today’s affordability crisis.Photos from today’s events can be foundHERE.
In Laconia, Shaheen visited the Normandin Square Apartments—a 60-unit apartment community where the majority of units are affordable—to tour ongoing renovation efforts with officials from the Laconia Housing Authority and underscore her work to address the shortage of affordable housing options in New Hampshire. Shaheensecured $750,000in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) for the renovation project in the bipartisan Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 government funding legislation that was signed into law earlier this year.
“As President Trump’s reckless tariffs add more than $10,000 to the cost of a new home—contributing to housing prices in New Hampshire hitting near record highs—increasing the supply of affordable housing is one of my top priorities in Congress,”said Senator Shaheen.“I was proud to secure federal funding that will directly increase our state’s supply of housing by supporting renovations at the Normandin Square Apartments and providing real relief to Granite Staters in the Laconia community who are struggling to find housing they can afford.”
Earlier this year, Shaheen worked across the aisle to pass theTransportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2026, which invests $1.25 billion in the HOME Investment Partnerships Program to help build new housing across the state and supports grant programs that aid state and local efforts to remove barriers to housing construction. Shaheen’s visits come as the Senate advances the21stCentury ROAD to Housing Act, bipartisan legislation that will cut red tape and make it less expensive to build new housing. This legislation includes three Shaheen-secured provisions that will preserve affordable rural housing, make it easier to build new housing and protect lower-income renters. This is a continuation of Shaheen’s extensive work to increase access and lower costs, including in New Hampshire’s rural and low-income communities.
Shaheen started the day in Franklin, where she joined local education officials and community leaders to tour and receive updates on the Franklin High School Revitalization Project. Shaheen secured$461,000 in CDSfor the project in the FY 2026 government funding legislation to refurbish Franklin’s front entrance that has been unusable for 25 years, modernize and upgrade bathrooms for the health and safety of students and staff and replace all interior doors that were originally installed in the 1960s.
“Federal dollars that are secured through the Congressionally Directed Spending process make a real difference in New Hampshire and deliver results across our state—it’s always great to see these dollars at work in our communities,”said Senator Shaheen.“I enjoyed the opportunity to engage with education leaders in Franklin and witness firsthand how the funding I helped secure is working to strengthen Franklin High School’s infrastructure and, most importantly, create a learning environment where students can thrive.”
Amid efforts by the Trump Administration to roll back, delay and withhold critical funding that helps make child care and education more affordable for Granite Staters, Shaheen has worked to hold the Trump Administration accountable. In September, Shaheen led the New Hampshire Congressional delegation in calling on the U.S. Department of Education torestore Congressionally approvedfunding for the Education Alliance for New Hampshire’s Statewide Family Engagement Center grant, TRIO grants for the University of New Hampshire’s (UNH) Talent Search and McNair programs and the state’sGaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs(GEAR UP). Earlier this year, Shaheen secured key priorities in the bipartisanDepartments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2026,including $8.8 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant $1.19 billion for TRIO programs, in opposition to its proposed elimination in the President’s budget.
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