CLAREMONT, N.H. (WCAX) – Valley Regional Hospital in Claremont is not waiting for the community to build much-needed workforce housing. Instead, it’s building the housing on its own.

Like a growing number of hospitals and other organizations facing a housing crunch, Valley Regional Hospital is getting creative when it comes to housing, turning a former dormitory for nursing students into new residences for employees.

A wrap-around staircase is a sign of the building’s age. It was originally constructed in the late 1800s for nursing students and most recently used for hospital administration. But a $1.4 million renovation has transformed the building’s interior.

“We opened on Friday and we filled all eight rooms on Monday,” said the hospital’s Tim McNulty. And you can’t beat the commute, just a short walk to the hospital. McNulty says the average stay here will be one to three months. “We have candidates that otherwise wouldn’t be here providing care to our patients because they wouldn’t have housing. So, there is eight people that are providing care at Valley Regional that wouldn’t otherwise be here.”

Hospital officials say over the past three years have had to turn away roughly 30 prospective employees who couldn’t find housing nearby.

New Hampshire Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander met some employees while touring the facilities on Tuesday. “There is an ER nurse who is only able to be at work today because of this housing development,” Goodlander said.

Roughly one-third of the renovation cost came from a grant from the Northern Border Regional Commission, a federal program that targets problems in rural communities. Goodlander says the commission is on the chopping block of the current administration. “Right here, it brought a solution to what is a genuine crisis in our state — the housing affordability crisis,” she said.

The housing is not designed to be a long-term solution, but officials say it provides a crucial Band-Aid.