Shelter Services
The State of New Hampshire, Bureau of Homeless and Housing Services (BHHS), provide funding to 42 programs, which provided shelter to homeless men, women and children. These shelter programs act as a safety net for individuals and families who have run out of options and would otherwise be without a place to sleep and are a critical component of the local homeless Continuums of Care.
Emergency Shelters across the State serve more than 700 people (individuals and families) on any given night in New Hampshire. Emergency shelters at a minimum provide for basic needs with a warm place to sleep, and many provide much more. Additional services include meals, assistance accessing mainstream resources and benefits, assistance accessing affordable housing, and/or comprehensive case management to assess needs and develop a plan to move forward, out of homelessness. Many shelters also have a transitional shelter component, whereby guests receive additional support around skill building ensuring they will be ready to maintain their new home once permanent housing is obtained.
Transitional Programs are programs that have specific admission requirements guests must meet in order to be admitted and that assist guests in developing the daily living skills needed to be successful in permanent housing. BHHS funds six such programs.
Specialty Shelters are programs intended to provide emergency shelter to a specific sub population of the homeless population, and services at these shelters are designed to meet the unique needs of those served. Six specialty shelters in the state serve individuals in recovery from substance abuse (3), homeless youth (1), pregnant women (1), and female ex-offenders (1). BHHS contracts with the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (NHCADSV) to provide funding to 12 Domestic Violence Shelters statewide. NHCADSV is a statewide network of local crisis centers providing safe and empowering environments for victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Homeless victims of domestic violence, predominately women and children, receive emergency and transitional shelter as well as critical support services through these shelters.