Warming stations fill up as winter settles in, magnifying need for permanent housing solutions

MANCHESTER, NH – The city’s emergency shelter on Beech Street will again double as a warming shelter overnight as a second winter storm is expected to bring now, rain and possible flooding conditions Tuesday into Wednesday.

Manchester Fire Chief Ryan Cashin on Tuesday confirmed that the warming station would again be activated between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. ahead of the city’s announcement later in the day.

Last weekend’s storm brought more than a dozen people in from the cold.

“We had 17 individuals on Saturday and 16 on Sunday,” Cashin said, noting that the 40-bed shelter operated by the city remains at capacity, as did the Families in Transition shelter on Manchester Street.

“As far as encampments go, we haven’t come across any significant ones. Squad 1 has been tasked with doing fatality prevention for the upcoming storm, which means we drive around and talk to whoever we can find and go to as many spots as we know about to make sure everyone who wants to get out of the weather does,” Cashin said.

With a forecast including wind, rain and heavy snow, Cashin said getting out to make the rounds ahead of the storm is vital.

“Temperatures will be dropping and so we’ll be out there trying to find as many unsheltered people as possible, letting them know the time to seek shelter is before the storm hits,” Cashin said Tuesday morning.

“We know some of the unsheltered find alternatives – hotel rooms, a friend’s house. We’re not seeing any of the larger encampments like we have in the past,” Cashin said.

The greatest challenge anticipated from Tuesday night’s storm is the potential for flooding.

“The biggest concern after taking care of the unsheltered folks is that we’re expecting to see some surface flooding tonight and tomorrow. We’re urging people to clear any storm drains near their homes –  that helps with some of that surface flooding,” Cashin said.

Those who don’t make their way to 39 Beech St. have been finding a warm place to lay their heads at 1269 Cafe at 456 Union St. It’s known these days as simply The Twelve – located 1.2 miles from the Beech Street shelter, which is about a half-hour walk.

Mary Chevalier, who runs The Twelve along with her husband, Craig says they’ve seen an increase in their numbers this winter. “I’ve heard from some people that Beech Street is too far away,” she says, in considering why more people seem to opt for The Twelve.

“During the weekend storm we had 48 people on Saturday and 56 on Sunday. These days those are normal numbers,” Chevalier said. “Last week we had anywhere from 49 to 68. Last year, at most, we had 47 but mostly the numbers were in the low 40s. So that’s 15-20 more this year than we were seeing last year when the Cashin Center was open.”

The Twelve, which is a Christian street outreach that provides basic services including lunch, showers and bathrooms to the homeless. Since moving to Union Street three years ago they have also added nine beds of transitional housing for those who are ready to change their lives.

They also have expanded their hours and services for the winter, between Dec. 1 and March 31, to include overnight warming. There are no cots, but there is food, music and usually a movie for those who aren’t trying to catch some Zs  – and plenty of hospitality, Chevalier says, something they are able to extend, in part, thanks to help from the community.

“We’ve served 346 unique individuals, which is 40 more than the year before. We are always running slightly short, supply-wise – like I just realized we ran out of hand warmers and tampons – but we’ve been fortunate this year to have a few groups step up to come in and prepare and serve a meal or get pizza for us,” Chevalier says. “We don’t have to serve food but we like to, and sometimes we feel like that’s the draw.”

As the city’s winter operations finally activate with the delayed arrival of winter weather, Chevalier underscores the fact that shelter from the storms is important, but what’s really needed is more affordable housing.

And beyond that, there needs to be more supportive and transitional housing, like the nine beds on the third floor of The Twelve. Because the reality for most of those who are currently languishing in shelters is that they are nowhere near financially or emotionally prepared to live independently.

“We’ve got nine guys living up there, some have been here a couple of years. I know it’s a chunk of time, but we’re not in a hurry to rush someone out. We’ve had a couple of guys get housing and some reunite with family. We have others who say ‘this is not going to work for me’ and so they either go back to the streets or elsewhere,” Chevalier says. “It’s nine beds; it’s not huge but it has a big impact for those who make it, to get their feet under them and restore their physical and financial health.”

In the bigger picture of solutions, there are still too many gaps. Chevalier is hoping this is the year some of those housing gaps get filled.

“We need more supportive housing. The question is how to make more places like 1269 so when they come out of rehab or a sober home they can be someplace with some case management,” Chevalier says.

She has seen too many people who get out of rehab and, within a short time, revert to their previous addictions. Despite her own best daily policing efforts in the surrounding neighborhood, The Twelve exists as a shelter in the eye of a storm where drugs and other illicit activity swirl.

“We try to love on people here, and we hope that we can help them find their way to something better. When I watch people who spent two months at rehab show up at the door, I ask them ‘what are you doing here?’ And then I have to tell my night crew not to let someone in because I saw them out there with a crack pipe or a meth pipe – and yes, I’ve unfortunately had to learn the difference,” Chevalier says.

There are those living among the homeless who need something even more, something that does not exist; long-term supportive housing for those who are elderly or with chronic illness who won’t be getting back on their feet.  There are those who need wheelchairs or walkers to get around; there are those who need a place to be comfortable until their time runs out.

“I have a couple right now – I don’t know their whole story yet, but they had an apartment for a number of years and lost their housing for some reason. He has terminal cancer and a bad hip and his wife needs a support group for people with partners who have a terminal illness,” Chevalier said. She is doing some outreach to find resources for them.

“How sad for them, to be pushing a shopping cart and hanging out here.”