MANCHESTER, N.H. – On Friday morning, Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais made a pledge to provide homes to all homeless veterans in Manchester by the end of his term, which ends in 472 days.
An officer in the New Hampshire Army National Guard himelf, Ruais told the assembled crowd at the second annual New Hampshire Veterans’ Stand Down Event at Eversource’s Energy Park that there are currently 47 homeless veterans in Manchester.
“This is a fight worth fighting. This is a hill worth taking,” he said.
Ruais also said that this pledge is feasible and can be accomplished by breaking down the problem into smaller parts.
“Manchester needs to say that we’re going to wrap our arms around this challenge, and we are going to succeed,” he said. “Because damnit, this is Manchester and we can get this done and we choose to do the hard things, and this is going to be hard, but we are going to get it done because we owe it to our veterans.”
Ruais noted that one of those homeless veterans is set to obtain keys for a new apartment next week, which came through the work of Choice Realty. Craig St. Pierre, an agent with Choice Realty and member of the Manchester Zoning Board of Adjustment, added that ten more are slated to receive housing at the former Lamont-Hanley Building on Elm Street. Nine other landlords and a dozen other organizations have also already agreed to support the initiative.
“I think it’s a complicated issue with a lot of prongs and I think one of the big core items of this is exactly what we’re seeing today,” said St. Pierre. “It’s about awareness and it’s about people that are willing to step up and help these folks and make it happen.”
Owen Westover, project coordinator for the City of Manchester Homeless Initiatives Office, felt that Friday’s announcement was a significant one and agreed with the mayor that it is possible to house all veterans in the city. He added that often veterans have additional challenges that may prevent them from getting the help they need.
“They often have a lot of pride and shame tied up in their veteran status, especially when living outside, and potentially having substance abuse issues or mental health issues,” said Westover. “I’ve run into a lot of veterans who are just not comfortable disclosing their veteran status, which prevents them from getting attached to resources.”
The mayor’s office is asking any landlords or other non-profits interested in joining the initiative to email mayor@manchesternh.gov. Anyone seeking more information on assisting homeless veterans can call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838.