MANCHESTER, NH – Our governor has a lot to manage these days. Even though New Hampshire’s economy is strong and unemployment, low, he is losing sleep over the chronic issue of teen homelessness in New Hampshire. Quite literally, Gov. Chris Sununu will be unfurling his sleeping bag and sacking out on the cold hard ground with 124 others on March 23 outside the Manchester Downtown Hotel in support of Child & Family Services fourth annual SleepOUT event.
“I’ve done a lot of hiking and camping, so sleeping outside in March isn’t an issue for me,” Sununu says. “But what is an issue is that any night – I don’t care if it’s the middle of July – any night for a kid to be sleeping out because they don’t have a better alternative, is one too many,” he says. “Those are the types of problems we need to be putting our emphasis on.”
Sununu also gave non-partisan props to Mayor Joyce Craig, who will be sleeping out with her executive team, noting that many of the tough issues facing New Hampshire require unity from all our leader. Craig’s willingness to participate underscores her personal and professional dedication to the welfare of New Hampshire’s youngest citizens, Sununu says.
Teen homelessness is often a result of other problems on the homefront, from parental instability, mental illness and drug addiction, to teen depression, sexual identity, and mental health issues. The statistics are hard to pin down, but nationally an estimated 1-in-10 young people ages 18-25, and 1-in-30 ages 14-17, endure some form of homelessness.
That translates to about 16,500 young people in New Hampshire.
“They fly under the radar and are hard to count,” says Kat Strange, CFS communications director. “The current trend is that many young people are holding down two jobs and still can’t reach stability. The economics and cost of living are not in their favor.”
And the hurdles they face at such a young age are often insurmountable without the kind of supports in place through outreaches like CFS.
“Some are survivors of abuse. Some have developmental delays or learning disabilities. Some have parents struggling with addiction or mental illness, or they themselves are,” Strange says. “Some are pregnant. Some come from a long line of poverty, and some have been ostracized due to their sexual identity while others have no living relatives or family.”
Continuum of care services provided by CFS are unique – a Street Outreach team hits the streets in search of at-risk youth wherever they might be; Runaway and Homeless Youth Program provides preventative work in schools; Youth Resource Center on Lincoln Street provides a drop-in outpost where basic needs like food, clothing, a place to shower or do laundry are met, and provides access to a computer lab and deeper services – life skills, job training, housing and education – to help bridge gaps. There are also programs that address substance misuse treatment, counseling, foster care and in-school social work, Strange says.
This year’s fundraising target was a lofty $250,000, and thanks to the outpouring and commitment from individuals, company teams and yes, even the governor, that goal has already been met and exceeded.
Having strong support from New Hampshire’s top elected official has helped set the tone. Sununu – the country’s youngest sitting governor at the moment at 43, is a father of three young kids, and says that helps inform the way he approaches problem-solving. He’s a fan of out-of-the-box thinking and leading by example, which is why this particular opportunity to raise money and awareness appealed to him.
“I’m a big believer in the idea that if you’re not getting results trying the same thing over and over, then it’s time to try something different,” says Sununu. “I also believe we have great services and programs in New Hampshire that don’t get enough promotion. This is an opportunity to do both.”
When he joined Child & Family Services CEO Borja Alvarez de Toledo last year for the formal kick-off of the 2017 SleepOut, Sununu realized he was missing out.
“That’s when it first occurred to me, ‘why am I not doing this?’ This is the type of stuff I never really knew was going on. Maybe it’s not something governors do, but I think they should. Frankly, a governor has the power of the microphone, and I believe there’s an obligation to use that voice to highlight the great organizations and initiatives around the state,” Sununu says. “It’s important work, but in this case, it also has potential to save lives. In that way, I believe we all have an obligation to participate however we can.”
Manchester native George Copadis, who serves as Commissioner of New Hampshire Employment Security, has also risen to the SleepOUT challenge. Unlike Sununu, however, Copadis claims this will be the first time he’s slept outside, in any weather, in all his 65 years.
Stepping outside his comfort zone is easy to do when it’s for a worthy cause, Copadis says. He has been a prolific fundraiser for the annual GLENDI Greek festival in Manchester, which he’s chaired for 17 years.
“If I had to raise money for myself, I wouldn’t be able to do it. But I’ve made a lot of contacts over the years. I’ve got a lot of friends and built up a lot of partnerships. Gov Sununu challenged all the state commissioners during his State of the State address to stand up with him and raise awareness around youth homelessness. He inspired me, and once I’m in, I’m all in,” Copadis says.
He’s gotten guidance from his deputy director, camping pro Rich Lavers, on how to survive a night in 32-degree temps.
“He told me what to do and what to get – I went to Eastern Mountain Sporting goods for wool socks, long johns, hand warmers, foot warmers, a down jacket – and he’s letting me borrow his sleeping bag,” Copadis says.
And like his boss, Copadis agrees that it’s impossible to argue with the vital mission and work of Child and Family Services, particularly at a time when drug issues are ravaging families and the fallout can create abusive or neglectful situations for kids.
Not all who care about the cause will be sleeping under the stars. Mark and Sally Stebbins, owners of PROCON construction services, are proud sponsors of the annual event, and CFS’ most enduring corporate sponsor. This year they have a team of 10 sleepers who have raised well over $26,000 – including a $20,000 donation from the Stebbins family.
“We’ve been with them close to 30 years because we think it’s a very important part of the fabric of New Hampshire, and they deliver so many services to the families in this state,” says Mark Stebbins. “We got particularly interested during the first SleepOUT, where we heard some of the stories from those who’ve been helped by the organization. My wife and I were really moved by it. One young man spoke about how after his mother died, and his dad remarried, he didn’t get along with his step-mom, and so they just dropped him off in Manchester and said, ‘you’re on your own.’ Truly moving stories.”
Stebbins worked closely with CFS when in 2015 the agency moved its Youth Resource Center to a space on Lincoln Street in need of a complete makeover. The project was completely underwritten by PROCON.
“We got our interior design department working on it, and we have a whole company that buys furniture for hotels and supplied all the furniture and funded it. We were so passionate about not only getting it done, but that it was done right. They were just going to bring over all their old furniture and cabinets, but we felt it should be a space these kids deserved,” Stebbins says. “They can’t house them, but they can help them.”
And the compassion Mark and Sally Stebbins have for CFS extends to their daughter, Jennifer Stebbins Thomas, who has joined the Board of Directors.
Lou Kaucic is relatively new to the mission of CFS, joining the Board of Trustees about five years ago. He’s a genuine people person – having served at one time as Chief People Officer for Applebees before leaving Kansas for New Hampshire, where he and his life partner decided to spend the “give back” phase of their lives doing just that. They have founded a non-profit coaching company here, and much of their work is focused on New Hampshire’s prison population.
There is a connection to hearing the stories of incarcerated men and women, and the important work of CFS.
“I work at the men’s prison in Concord and Bill, my partner, works with women at the Goffstown prison. I’ve probably coached 50 men over the past five years, and many of them came from abusive families, kicked out of their homes at a young age and were homeless themselves. You can see the spiral when there’s no support system in a community,” Kaucic says.
Kaucic is far and away the top fundraiser this year – according to the current leaderboard, he’s raised more than $87,000 through his network of friends, most of whom aren’t from New Hampshire and don’t necessarily know all that much about CFS.
But they know if Kaucic has a heart for an organization, it’s worth supporting.
“That’s one of the coolest things – I’m number one on the leaderboard by far, and that represents 172 people who’ve contributed to my page – over 100 of those have never even been to the state of New Hampshire. For me, that speaks to the cause – that, or their giddy delight of the idea of me sleeping on the cold ground just delights them,” Kaucic says.
The fact that organizations like CFS provide compassionate services – and options – to teens in crisis is likely the most compelling reason there is such an outpouring, year after year, for the good work of CFS. As a gay man, Kaucic says knowing that a disproportionate faction of homeless teens identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender – as many as 40 percent by most measures – is troubling.
“Something I’ve learned through my coaching work at the prison is if you know enough of someone’s life story, you cannot help but love them. I think that’s what escapes people who lack compassion, because in most cases, we don’t know what burden someone else has borne,” Kaucic says. “But knowing there are so many LGBT kids out there who are ostracized just for being who they are – often by their own families – it’s encouraging to me that we have more than 120 sleepers, including the governor, who are committed to supporting such a great cause.”