"The Department of Housing Stability will reduce homelessness and increase housing stability in Manchester by way of City-wide coordinated response, increased access to sustainable housing,
and leadership both locally and State-wide."
Update February, 2024: Current Encampment Monitoring: 12 sites
6 camps, private and/or City property, approx. 8-10 homeless individuals involved.
6 camps, State property; State has been notified and we are coordinating next steps.
The annual homeless count that took place at the end of January showed that we continue to have approx. 140 unsheltered homeless individuals in Manchester in scattered and changing locations. The Manchester shelters are full and account for approx. 416 individuals and people in families. Despite the continued crisis, we have experienced that this street population is more engaged with indoor homelessness programming during the day due to the addition of the Beech Street Engagement Center which provides low barrier daytime refuge and rehabilitation services and on average has 70 people accessing a day. The street population is also accessing the overnight Winter warming station at the 1269 Café where they are seeing approx. 70 individuals at night; this service will end in March along with other warming sites across the State.
39 Beech Street Shelter
603-413-1775
Shelter hours are from 5 PM to 9 AM;
Dinner is provided to guests registered to a bed at 6pm.
Please call anytime or walk in prior to 10PM to access a bed opening.
We warmly welcome homeless adult men, women, and couples. Our facility offers on-site meals, storage for tents and personal belongings, and provides 40 beds in a communal open space for sleeping. Guests have access to private showers and bathrooms, which are wheelchair accessible.
39 Beech Street Engagment Center
603-413-1775
9am - 5pm Daily
The EC operates as a centralized service hub open 7 days a week for Manchester residents facing housing instability. We provide essentials like showers, bathrooms, meals, and clothing. On-site local providers assist with substance abuse treatment, mental health support, medical care, housing navigation, and employment services. Our objective is to dismantle barriers to housing such as missing vital records, identification, income, and challenging histories related to housing, credit, and criminality. Additionally, the EC hub aggregates data on homelessness, fostering a city-wide understanding of its causes and effective interventions.
Our Mission
In recent years, the challenge of homelessness and housing instability has grown significantly in Manchester, reflective of broader national trends. New Hampshire, in particular, faces high rental costs, being ranked 13th in the nation, with rental prices projected to increase by 11.4% annually. Hillsborough County has seen a 47% rise in rent prices over the past five years. Consequently, a significant portion of the state's homeless population is found in our county, primarily in Manchester. The scarcity of available rental units, marked by a 0.6% vacancy rate, further exacerbates the housing issue. Currently, there's a shortfall of 23,670 housing units in the state, and it's estimated that an additional 60,000 units will be needed by 2030 to meet the growing demand.
The establishment of the Department of Housing Stability represents a structured response to these housing challenges. The department's primary aim is to alleviate the housing difficulties faced by our residents through coordinated and systematic efforts. By addressing barriers to housing such as adverse credit or rental histories, the department endeavors to broaden housing accessibility. The department leads with clinical expertise in both substance use disorder and mental health treatment.
Furthermore, the Department of Housing Stability will engage in diligent efforts to bridge the gap between existing federal and state housing provisions and the actual housing needs of our citizens. This includes optimizing the collaborative use of Federal HUD funding received through the New Hampshire homeless Continuums of Care, and leading the way in developing programming that aligns with best practice models of housing first, trauma-informed care, and harm reduction.