UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL: Ryan Pope

The information contained in this article is not intended as legal advice and may no longer be accurate due to changes in the law. Consult NHMA's legal services or your municipal attorney.

Welcome to Up Close and Personal, a regular column in New Hampshire Town and City designed to give readers a closer look at NHMA Board members. This issue features Ryan Pope, Housing Navigator for the City of Dover.

What are your duties and responsibilities as Housing Navigator?
A. The role falls within the City’s Department of Planning & Community Development, and is primarily focused on identifying solutions to better meet the housing needs of residents through engagement and collaboration with a variety of community stakeholders. It began as a 2-year grant funded position created by the InvestNH program in 2022 but has since become a permanent staff position. The role is constantly evolving, but generally involves significant community engagement and education, data analysis, and staff support of various housing initiatives and programs.

What is your biggest challenge in performing your duties?
A. Housing is an enormously complex issue touched by forces well outside the control of any community. This complexity is further compounded by the fact that accommodating new housing options inherently changes the places where they are accommodated. While no place is excused from change, it is important to balance solutions to align with resident feedback and community values.

How has NHMA helped you to do your job?
A. Every community, big and small, has a part to play in resolving our statewide housing shortage. NHMA provides a unique forum for our towns and cities to collaborate, share practices, and learn from one another. I’m still very new to government, and the connections I’ve made through NHMA’s programming and member network have been invaluable. It’s remarkable to be part of an organization where everyone involved is working to make our communities stronger.

Give us an example of a problem you solved or a dilemma you faced and overcame in the line of duty?
A. While discussing potential barriers to new housing creation with residents, we learned that Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) were particularly difficult to finance with conventional lending products. We shared this feedback with the City’s local banks and credit unions and worked with them to create and implement tailor-made loan programs to overcome the specific limitations cited in resident feedback. Solving the housing shortage will require participation from many sectors, and the several institutions offering these products are representative of the collaborative approach the City strives for.

What is the public perception about your job and how does it differ from the reality of your job?
A. It’s a unique role so perceptions vary pretty widely. Many residents assume I either direct policy decisions or provide assistance to those seeking housing and related services - neither of which I do. In reality, my role is centered around understanding the local housing landscape, identifying the tools and stakeholders that could address pieces of it, and then pulling people and resources together to facilitate inclusive housing options. Simply said, I’m a community resource working to implement the community’s goals.

Has your public position changed you personally?
A. I frequently joke that my job is to talk to strangers, and those conversations range widely in tone and scope. When speaking with particularly impassioned residents, I have been challenged to listen with the sole intention of understanding what is being shared. I’ve learned that there is value in every interaction and that realization has fundamentally changed the way I communicate.

Has your job changed the way you look at the role of government?
A. Most definitely. Prior to joining the City, I worked in financial services – a profession with an interesting regulatory relationship. Without getting into previous assumptions, I can safely say that my current view of government is more akin to the hub of a wagon wheel. Government is not only connected to the many aspects that make a community, but essential to its function and forward progress.