ICYMI: Pappas Talks Rural Workforce, Affordable Housing Challenges in Lancaster

LANCASTER, NH — In case you missed it, Congressman Chris Pappas visited PAK Solutions in Lancaster for a tour and discussion with staff about the dual workforce and affordable housing shortages facing New Hampshire’s rural communities. Pappas toured PAK Solutions’ Lancaster manufacturing facility before heading to Main Street for a tour of innovative new housing developments PAK Solutions built and opened last year.

Read quotes from the event below:

“New Hampshire’s workforce and affordable housing shortages go hand and hand. If you want more businesses and economic opportunity, you need more housing and more people living and working in town,” said Congressman Chris Pappas. “In Lancaster they’re paving the way to build new units, grow their workforce and revitalize Main Street. In the Senate I’ll continue working to invest in New Hampshire’s workforce, and support the needs of the Main Street businesses that drive our economy all across the state of New Hampshire.”

“When COVID struck, banks, restaurants, and retail business were decimated. So, what do you do as an entrepreneur? You pivot. We moved into food packaging and it’s actually turned out to be a better business for us to be in,” said Donna Hosmer, General Counsel, PAK Solutions. “That flexibility is what drove us to build this workforce housing because we needed to be able to recruit and retain workers. Now this building is fully occupied less than a year after the ribbon cutting.”

According to PAK Solutions, after facing challenges with employee recruitment and retention, the company worked to rehab two historic downtown buildings, adding eight new units of housing. Over the same period, they have seen significant growth, adding dozens of new employees fueled in part thanks to these additional units.

Chris Pappas is running for Senate to lower housing costs and put Granite Staters first by backing tax cuts that help bring home ownership within reach for more Americans and cutting red tape making it harder to build new housing. He’ll continue to take on Trump’s tariffs that are raising prices on lumber, furniture, appliances and other materials used to build and furnish new homes and buildings.

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