City redistributes homelessness director's duties following resignation

Paul Feely, The New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester
·3 min read

Sep. 12—City officials have released a plan detailing who will take over the duties of the director of homeless initiatives position following Schonna Green's resignation last week.

The update comes as state officials approved using $5 million to support emergency homeless shelters in New Hampshire.

Green, 57, began her two-year term on April 18, 2021, with the oversight of the Manchester Fire Department.

Green submitted a one-sentence letter of resignation to interim Manchester Fire Chief Ryan Cashin last Wednesday that gave little insight into the reasons behind her decision.

"I am writing to inform you of my decision to resign as Director of Homelessness Initiatives for the City of Manchester, NH, effective immediately," is all the letter said.

Late last week, Cashin emailed city officials with an update on who will take over her responsibilities in the interim "as we assess how we can best serve the needs of those experiencing homelessness in Manchester."

Encampment issues will be coordinated by the Neighborhood Enhancement Team (NET) coordinator. Residents can still use the 'See Click Fix' app or call (603) 792-3859 to report encampments.

The welfare office and community health workers will assist with connecting "housing insecure" residents with available resources like rental and heating assistance.

"City departments and non-profit partners will be coming together to develop recommendations for the city's approach to homelessness initiatives moving forward in the coming weeks," writes Cashin.

Funding approved Friday may factor into those plans.

At Friday's Joint Fiscal Committee meeting, item FIS 22-313 was approved, adding $5 million to support emergency homeless shelters in New Hampshire. The item was also approved by Gov. Chris Sununu and the Executive Council last week.

The funding will support contracted emergency shelters and the operation of cold weather shelters — including temporary hotel stays when a physical emergency shelter building is not available or easily accessible.

According to an email from Melissa Hatfield, bureau chief of the Bureau of Housing Supports, state officials intend to utilize American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State Fiscal Recovery Fund (SFRF) funding for the following:

—Provide $4 million in one-time grants to the existing homeless shelters under contract with the department for COVID-19 related/impacted costs. Funds will be distributed across shelters currently on contract with DHHS, accounting for the known number of beds at each facility; and

—Provide $1 million in one-time grants to each county or municipality and/or nonprofits/coalitions to assist with the operation of cold weather shelters. Funds will be allocated based on the preliminary numbers for those experiencing homelessness from the January 2022 Point in Time Count in each county.

"For existing emergency shelters, this will be managed through a contract amendment for shelter programs that are truly emergency programs where anyone can walk in off the street, without any preconditions," writes Hatfield.

For cold weather shelters, a Request for Grant Applications (RGA) will be sent out soon, Hatfield writes.

Statewide, DHHS contracts with 19 shelter providers for 791 emergency shelter beds, but DHHS does not fund temporary cold weather shelters. Preliminary data for the 2022 Point-In-Time count shows 1,605 people experiencing homelessness, an increase of 7.6% from 2021.

In Manchester, Hope for New Hampshire Recovery and the 1269 Café operated an overnight warming station at 456 Union St., the site of the former St. Casimir School, last winter.