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Give Back NH: Concord Coalition to End Homelessness

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Give Back NH: Concord Coalition to End Homelessness


On this week’s episode of Give Back New Hampshire, we focus on the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness. Founded in 2009, the Coalition is at the forefront of Concord’s response to homelessness, dedicating itself to eliminating chronic homelessness.

Justin Cross, Cross Photography

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Concord Coalition to End Homelessness

Pleasant Street Apartments was successfully converted into eight one-bedroom apartments for individuals exiting homelessness. The building opened to residents in June 2024.

This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

Karen Jantzen: I am Karen Jantzen. I am the executive director of the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness.

Sierra Hubbard: My name is Sierra Hubbard. I am our Supportive Housing Program Manager here at CCEH.

Miles Whitener: I’m Miles Whitener. I sit on the Concord Coalition’s board of directors, and I’m a one-time client of CCEH.

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Karen Jantzen: Our mission is pretty simple — it’s in our name. It’s to end homelessness in our community. We started out as a pretty much a volunteer organization, and over time we have grown. We serve hundreds upon hundreds of clients experiencing homelessness every day. We are a Concord based organization. We work with a lot of our partner agencies across the state in trying to eliminate homelessness, but the clients we serve are in the greater Concord area.

When we first started, we were a simple resource center, a place for people to come grab a cup of coffee and a place for people to get their mail. We’ve expanded from just having a resource center. We also offer supportive housing program.

Sierra Hubbard: So people who come from long-term homelessness and move into housing, either through properties that we own and provide those services, or through tenant based programs where we help them find an apartment out in the community. We provide supportive services, which is essentially case management, but also assistance with maybe getting groceries or making sure that they pay their rent on time. If it falls under the umbrella of helping to keep somebody housed, then we’re going to do that to assist that person.

Karen Jantzen: We are a low barrier shelter. We have 40 beds and we’re open seven days a week through December, January, February and March.

Miles Whitener: It’s almost as at times . . . like a triage situation. You have people that are coming in that are stressed out from the day. You see all kinds of things, just people shivering. Sometimes you’ll end up treating small wounds, cuts, contusions and stuff. It can be an experience if you’re not used to it, but it’s got its high sides, too, because you have the people that are coming in that are happy for the day to be over with. They’re happy for that bunk. And early on in the season, a lot of times people are just coming in and they’re done. They want to go to sleep, and that’s it. They hit the bunks, and they’re out like a light.

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Karen Jantzen: I think a huge challenge is housing. It’s hard to help people and end homelessness if you just don’t have a place where you can put them.

Sierra Hubbard: It’s all about providing options for people so that they have choices in where they live. And in this rental market, we can’t provide that, which is really difficult. Um, we can’t realistically give somebody a lot of options on apartments because we’re lucky if we can find one.

Karen Jantzen: Funding is always a challenge, and volunteers are kind of the lifeblood of how we get things done here on a day to day basis, and we can always use more volunteers.

Miles Whitener: I was a client here for two years, I guess? The whole time that I was, I was at my camp. And it started with, I like to pull my own weight. I just feel like if someone’s taking care of me, I want, I want to give back to who’s who’s helping me. And then, you know, the idea was brought up, well, you know, they would like to have a lived experience voice on the board of directors. And that opportunity was presented to me and I went for it. I just I wanted to give back to the people that had essentially taken care of me for two years.

I have a very profound, deep belief that in the end, humankind will make the right choices, and the people that do this are going to show them how to do it. And I do believe eventually, over time, humanity will respond and do the right thing. And I want to be on that path with them when they make that choice.

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New Hampshire

N.H. lawmakers to vote on increasing tolls, civil rights, and k-12 education – The Boston Globe

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N.H. lawmakers to vote on increasing tolls, civil rights, and k-12 education – The Boston Globe


One proposal (Senate Bill 627) would generate more than $53 million per year in estimated revenue for turnpike projects by essentially doubling what certain cars pay on the state’s toll roads.

The cash fare for Hampton’s main toll booth on Interstate 95, for example, would jump from $2 to $4 for cars and pickup trucks. The toll wouldn’t increase at all for motorists who use New Hampshire’s E-ZPass transponders.

“Surrounding states already have the same in-state discount structure in place,” Democratic Representative Martin Jack of Nashua wrote on behalf of a House committee that unanimously recommended the bill.

A potential hitch: Governor Kelly Ayotte. She’s expressed opposition to the whole toll-hiking idea, and proven she’s not afraid to use her veto pen.

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Modifying civil rights standard

Another proposal (Senate Bill 464) would add a few words to the state’s Civil Rights Act. Instead of addressing conduct that is merely “motivated by” a legally protected characteristic, the proposed revision would address conduct that is “substantially motivated by hostility towards the victim’s” protected characteristic (such as their race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, or disability).

The prime sponsor, Republican Senator Daryl Abbas, an attorney, testified the change was small and aligned with the law’s intent. But the attorney who oversees the Civil Rights Unit at the New Hampshire Department of Justice, Sean Locke, testified in opposition, saying the proposal could reduce protections, especially since the meaning of “substantially” is somewhat vague.

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The House is also weighing a proposed amendment that would add a few more words than Abbas’s version, potentially narrowing the Civil Rights Act’s applicability a bit further.

Open enrollment for K-12 schools

A third proposal up for a vote on Thursday (Senate Bill 101) would make every K-12 public school in New Hampshire an “open enrollment” school. That way, students could freely choose to transfer to a district other than the one where they live.

The proposed policy is controversial, partly because of how schools are funded. Districts rely mostly on local property taxes to cover their costs, as the state government chips in relatively little, and property tax rates vary widely from one community to the next. That generates concern about who will foot the bill when a student transfers.

In light of those concerns, Republicans are offering a compromise amendment to SB 101 that would require the state to provide more money per pupil that a district receives via open enrollment, as the New Hampshire Bulletin reported. Democrats are offering their own amendment to establish a study commission on this topic, rather than adopt the proposed policy now.

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Lawmakers have until May 14 to take action on the bills that came from the other chamber, though they have until June 4 to iron out any discrepancies.

Amanda Gokee of the Globe staff contributed to this report.


This story appears in Globe NH | Morning Report, a free email newsletter focused on New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles elsewhere. Sign up here.


Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.





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New Hampshire

Boston MedFlight expands into NH

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Boston MedFlight expands into NH


Boston MedFlight often touches down at the scene of some of the worst tragedies in New England – where minutes can mean life or death for a victim. The critical care transport operation is now expanding with a new base in New Hampshire.

The organization is hosting an open house at the new Manchester location on Thursday.

Boston MedFlight flies a critical care transport paramedic and nurse on every flight. Jaik Hanley-McCarthy says their helicopters and ground vehicles are equipped to handle just about any emergency medical procedure.

“Anything that can be done in the ICU,” explained Hanley-McCarthy. “We have a mobile lab so we can draw blood and run labs in real time.”

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Boston MedFlight now has five bases across the region.

“Having a base in Manchester just expands this Boston-level care even further north to the more remote areas of the state,” said Hanley-McCarthy.

Boston MedFlight operates as a network of bases and some of the locations are staffed 24 hours.

Chief Executive Officer Maura Hughes says the nonprofit operation survives on public and private donations.

“We provide about $7 million in free care every year to patients,” said Hughes. “Not every hospital can be everything to every patient. We’re really the glue that keeps the health care system together.”

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Heather Young says her daughter, Teighan, is still alive because she was flown for a critical assessment and procedure after falling off a truck and hitting her head.

“She should not be driving and walking and talking and all the things she’s doing as quickly as she is,” said Young.

Teighan just turned 18 and plans to go to college to study the medical field.

“I want to be a nurse and help other people,” she said.

It’s stories like this that keep the men and women who work Boston MedFlight focused on their mission.

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“I think we just go call by call and try to do the best we can,” said Hanley-McCarthy. “I think when we stop and truly think about it, I think that weight is pretty heavy.”

Boston MedFlight also has a yearly reunion where patients and the team get together here in Bedford to meet and check in on their progress. It really shows you how connected they are to the people they help.



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Hiker who set out in warm spring weather found dead after snowstorm in New Hampshire mountains

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Hiker who set out in warm spring weather found dead after snowstorm in New Hampshire mountains


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A Massachusetts hiker who set out in warm spring weather was found dead deep in New Hampshire’s White Mountains after a snowstorm dumped several inches of snow in the area, authorities said.

Kent Wood, 61, of West Roxbury, was discovered Tuesday evening on a remote section of the Kinsman Pond Trail in Franconia Notch, about 5.5 miles from his vehicle, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game.

Wood had driven to Franconia Notch on April 17 for a weekend camping and hiking trip, and set out on a hike the next morning in warm, clear weather, officials said. Family and friends last heard from him Saturday afternoon.

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When he failed to return or make contact for two days, officials said relatives reported him missing Tuesday morning, prompting a large-scale search.

HIKER IDENTIFIED, POPULAR TRAIL CLOSED AFTER DEADLY FALL A UTAH’S ZION NATIONAL PARK

An aerial view of Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire, where a hiker was found dead on Tuesday. (Joseph Sohm/Universal Images Group, File)

Rescuers quickly learned Wood had packed for mild conditions, not the three to five inches of snow that fell in the area between Sunday and Monday.

Fog hovers over a narrow road through Franconia Notch in the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire on Dec. 27, 2021. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis)

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Search teams from Fish and Game, PEMI Valley Search and Rescue, and the Army National Guard launched a coordinated effort, focusing on the Lonesome Lake and Kinsman Pond areas.

FAMILY’S SPRING BREAK HIKE TURNS INTO LIFE-OR-DEATH RESCUE AFTER PARENT FALLS 70 FEET OFF UTAH CLIFF

Conservation officers located Wood’s body around 7:41 p.m. Tuesday. Crews carried him out overnight, reaching the trailhead shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday.

Franconia Notch and the Appalachian Trail are seen in New Hampshire on Sept. 21. (Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

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Since Friday, six hikers from Massachusetts have been rescued in the White Mountains, Fish and Game said.

Officials are reminding hikers that winter conditions still grip the mountains, with snow, freezing temperatures and rapidly changing weather.



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