Chief Cashin provides emergency warming center update

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Manchester Fire Department Chief Ryan Cashin provided an update for use of the emergency warming center at the William B. Cashin Senior Center over its first three nights of operation.

There were 12 individuals that used the center on Friday night, eight on Saturday night and seven on Sunday night. A total of 20 percent of the individuals among that group had never accessed an emergency center before and 83 percent of those individuals were interested in accessing additional city services.

According to Cashin the first person to access the shelter was a youth, who was connected directly with a caseworker from Greater Manchester Mental Health.

Another person, who came directly from the encampment, worked with the city’s Community Response Unit, and accessed treatment and detox for substance use disorder.

Cashin stressed that a key component of the EOC strategy is to connect people directly to wrap-around services, such as Substance Use Disorder treatment, mental health, and other services.

In a press conference on Monday morning at the Manchester Emergency Operations Center, which has been activated by the city to address the issue of homelessness in the city, Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig said that various city departments and local non-profit agencies have been working with the city’s homeless population to provide them with the services that they need. She added that in some situations, assistance has been provided to homeless individuals not from Manchester who would prefer services from their points of origin.

“If we can connect them to the services to their home community, that’s what we want to do, that’s one of the things that we’ve been doing during our outreach to individuals (asking) where are you from, (asking) if there is another place you can go if you have a safe place to be with family members, friends or other shelters,” she said. “We’re doing everything we can to meet the needs of the (homeless) individuals’ health and their safety as well as the health and safety of our community at large.”

Craig also emphasized efforts by the Manchester Police Department and Fire Department to build connections with those still camped outside the Families in Transition Shelter.

Sweeney Tuplin, one of those individuals in a tent outside the shelter on Merrimack Street, agreed with Craig’s assessment as of Monday morning.

“They’ve been out here, helping us and trying to get us resources and watching out for us, trying to make sure we’re all safe, and they haven’t been very hard on anybody,” said Tuplin of the city’s first responders. “They’re trying to help us.”

Tuplin thought the move to use the Cashin Senior Center was a good idea, but also felt that more beds should be provided in the Families in Transition Shelter for those who may not prefer the Cashin Senior Center.

“It might not be a good fit for everybody over there,” he said. “It’s chaos right now, but everybody puts themselves in their own situation. You have got to figure out your own situation until the situation’s done, you know? It’s a shitty situation, but everybody knew this was going to come anyways.”

A notice to vacate the area has been posted around the area of the Families in Transition Shelter after the opening of the William B. Cashin Senior Center as an emergency warming center, with individuals currently occupying tents outside the shelter having until Jan. 17 to vacate the area.

William B. Cashin Senior Center Manager Kimberly Drohan could not be reached for comment on Monday afternoon.