New Hampshire
Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day vigils in Dover, Portsmouth, around NH
Nearly a dozen New Hampshire communities are hosting vigils this week to remember friends and family who passed away because of homelessness this year. Keene hosted a vigil on Monday, Concord had one Thursday, and more are scheduled Saturday, including in Dover and Portsmouth.
“It’s the first night of winter, the longest night of the year, the darkest day of the year,” said Maggie Fogarty from the American Friends Service Committee. “It’s a good time for a solemn reflection on the loss of our siblings to homelessness, also coming as it does during a season of celebration and of light.”
Fogarty helps compile the list of people who will be remembered at these vigils. She explained that it includes people who passed away while being unhoused, as well as people who died prematurely because of the toll from being unhoused, even after finding housing.
About 60 people will be remembered this year, either just with their name, or a memory from someone who knew them. While some names are submitted by friends and family, most are from people who provide supportive services to unhoused people.
She added that these vigils are also a chance for community members to reflect and commit to advocacy, especially because 2025 is a budget-writing year for state government.
“That commitment to system change and to ensuring that public policy, not just charity, combine to protect everyone from poverty,” she said. “That’s as important an aspect of this remembrance as the coming together as a community to remember our siblings.”
According to a new report, New Hampshire saw the highest percentage rise in homelessness in the country between 2022 and 2023. The number of people facing homelessness in the Granite State went up by roughly 52%, while other states’ saw an average increase of 12% during the same time period, according to the report.
The report is put out annually by the New Hampshire Coalition to End Homelessness using information from a “point in time” count, which is an effort to count the number of homeless individuals in the state on a single day each year.
That data in the latest report suggests that New Hampshire saw a decline in veterans experiencing homelessness between 2022 and 2023. But the problem worsened for people dealing with chronic homelessness, single adults, families and sheltered individuals.
Homeless Persons Memorial Day vigils in Seacoast
Colebrook – Saturday, December 21 at 6 PM at 147 Main Street, in front of the Congregational Church. Contact: TRI County Community Action Program, ebecker@tccap.org
Concord – Thursday, December 19 at 4 pm at the State House, Concord. Contact: Angela Spinney, aspin@concordhomeless.org. Facebook event.
Conway – Saturday, December 21 at 6 PM at The Way Station, 15 Grove Street, Conway. Contact: TRI County Community Action Program, ebecker@tccap.org
Dover – Saturday, December 21 at First Parish Church, 218 Central Ave, Dover at 5 PM to 6 PM. Contact: Joyce Tugel, jtugel@gmail.com. Here’s the flyer.
Keene – Monday, December 16 at 5:30 PM at Saint James Episcopal Church, 44 West Street, Keene. Hosted by Hundred Nights, info@hundrednightsinc.org. More information here.
Laconia – Friday, December 20 at 5:30 PM at Isaiah 61 Cafe, 100 New Salem St, Laconia. Contact: Dawn Longval, dlongval@metrocast.net
Lancaster – Saturday, December 21 at 6 PM at the Centennial Park Green Gazebo on Main Street in Lancaster. Contact: TRI County Community Action Program, ebecker@tccap.org
Littleton – Saturday, December 21 at 6 PM at the Littleton Winter Shelter, 18 Pleasant Street Littleton. Contact: TRI County Community Action Program, ebecker@tccap.org
Manchester – Friday, December 20 at 6 PM at Veterans Park, Manchester. Contact: Crystal Butts-Ducharme, crystal.butts-ducharme@cmc-nh.org
Manchester – Saturday, December 21 at 12 noon at 1269 Café 456 Union St Manchester. Contact: Craig Chevalier craig@thetwelveonunion.org
Nashua – Saturday, December 21, 5 PM to 6 PM, at City Hall, at 229 Main Street Nashua. Contact: Tom Lopez, LopezT@NashuaNH.gov. Facebook event.
Newport – Saturday, December 21 at 6 PM at the Newport town common by the gazebo. Contact: Rev. Elisabeth Smith, Church of the Good Shepherd (United Methodist), pastorelisabeth415@gmail.com
Peterborough – Saturday, December 21 at 4 PM on the steps of the Peterborough Town House, 1 Grove Street, Peterborough, NH. Hosted by the Monadnock Area Transitional Shelter (MATS). Contact: Susan Howard, mats.peterborough@gmail.com
Portsmouth – Saturday, December 21, 5 PM to 6 PM at South Church, 292 State Street, Portsmouth, hosted by CrossRoads House. Facebook event.
Upper Valley – Friday, December 20 at 5:30 PM at LISTEN Community Services, 42 Maple Street, White River Jct, VT. Contact: Lynne Goodwin, lynne.goodwin@lebanonnh.gov
NHPR’s Olivia Richardson contributed to this report.
These articles are being shared by partners in the Granite State News Collaborative. For more information, visit collaborativenh.org.
SPRINGFIELD, N.H. (ABC22/FOX44) – After an icy morning on Interstate 89 that saw multiple cars in a crash in Springfield, New Hampshire, responders say that they are thankful that only one person sustained injuries.
According to Springfield Fire Rescue, they originally were called at 7:40 a.m. on Friday for a reported two-car crash between Exits 12A and 13 – but arrived to find 7 vehicles involved, including 6 off the road.
According to authorities, all of the occupants of the cars were able to get themselves out and only one needed to be taken to the hospital. Their injuries were reported to be non-life-threatening.
“Springfield Fire Rescue would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone to slow down and move over when emergency vehicles are in the roadway. The area where this incident occurred was very icy and we witnessed several other vehicles almost lose control when they entered the scene at too great a speed.”
Responders from New London, Enfield, and Springfield, as well as NH State Police, helped respond to the incident and clear the vehicles from the road, as well as to treat the ice to make the road safe.
An Alton man is dead after a snowmobile crash in New Hampshire’s North Country Thursday afternoon.
The New Hampshire Department of Fish and Game says 63-year-old Bradford Jones was attempting to negotiate a left hand turn on Corridor Trail 5 in Colebrook when he lost control of his snowmobile, struck multiple trees off the side of the trail and was thrown from the vehicle shortly before 3:30 p.m.
Jones was riding with another snowmobiler, who was in the lead at the time of the crash, according to the agency. Once the other man realized Jones was no longer behind him, he turned around and traveled back where he found Jones significantly injured, lying off the trail beside his damaged snowmobile.
The man immediately rendered aid to Jones and called 911 for assistance, NH Fish and Game said. The Colebrook Fire Department used their rescue tracked all terrain vehicle and a specialized off road machine to transport first responders across about a mile of trail to the crash scene.
Once there, a conservation officer and 45th Parallel EMS staff attempted lifesaving measures for approximately an hour, but Jones ultimately died from his injuries at the scene of the crash, officials said.
The crash remains under investigation, but conservation officers are considering speed for the existing trail conditions to have been a primary factor in this deadly incident.
Recently, I met with a husband who had been caring for his wife since her Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Her needs were escalating quickly — appointments, medications, meals, personal care — and he was determined to keep her at home. But the cost to his own wellbeing was undeniable. He was sleep‑deprived, depressed, and beginning to experience cognitive decline himself.
As director of the Referral Education Assistance & Prevention (REAP) program at Seacoast Mental Health Center, which supports older adults and caregivers across New Hampshire in partnership with the CMHC’s across the state, I hear stories like his every week. And his experience is far from unique.
Across the country, 24% of adults are family caregivers. Here in New Hampshire, 281,000 adults provide this essential care, often with little preparation or support. Only 11% receive any formal training to manage personal care tasks — yet they are the backbone of our long‑term care system, helping aging parents, spouses, and loved ones remain safely at home. (AARP, 2025)
REAP provides short‑term counseling, education, and support for older adults, caregivers, and the professionals who support them. We address concerns around mental health, substance use and cognitive functioning. After 21 years working with caregivers, I have seen how inadequate support directly harms families. Caregiving takes a serious toll — emotionally, physically, socially and financially. Many experience depression, chronic stress, and increased risk of alcohol or medication misuse.
In REAP’s own data from 2024:
- 50% of caregivers reported moderate to severe depression
- 29% reported suicidal ideation in the past two weeks
- 25% screened positive for at‑risk drinking
Their responsibilities go far beyond tasks like medication management and meal preparation. They interpret moods, manage behavioral changes, ease emotional triggers, and create meaningful engagement for the person they love. Their world revolves around the care recipient — often leading to isolation, loss of identity, guilt, and ongoing grief.
The statistics reflect what I see every week. Nearly one in four caregivers feels socially isolated. Forty‑three percent experience moderate to high emotional stress. And 31% receive no outside help at all.
Compare that to healthcare workers, who work in teams, receive breaks, have coworkers who step in when overwhelmed, and are trained and compensated for their work. Even with these supports, burnout is common. Caregivers receive none of these protections yet are expected to shoulder the same level of responsibility — alone, unpaid, and unrecognized.
Senate Bill 608 in New Hampshire would finally begin to fill these gaps. The bill provides access to counseling, peer support, training, and caregiver assessment for family caregivers of individuals enrolled in two Medicaid waiver programs: Acquired Brain Disorder (ABD) and Choices for Independence (CFI). These services would address the very needs I see daily.
Professional counseling helps caregivers process the complex emotions of watching a loved one decline or manage the stress that comes with it. Peer support connects them with others navigating similar challenges. Caregiver assessment identifies individual needs before families reach crisis.
When caregivers receive the right support, everyone benefits. The care recipient receives safer, more compassionate care. The caregiver’s health stabilizes instead of deteriorating from chronic stress and neglect. And costly options, which many older adults want to avoid, are delayed or prevented.
There is a direct and measurable link between caregiver training and caregiver wellbeing. The spouse I mentioned earlier is proof. Through REAP, he received education about his wife’s diagnosis, guidance on communication and behavior, and strategies to manage his own stress. Within weeks, his depression decreased from moderate to mild without medication. He was sleeping through the night and thinking more clearly. His frustration with his wife dropped significantly because he finally understood what she was experiencing and how to respond compassionately.
The real question before lawmakers is not whether we can afford SB 608. It is whether we can afford to continue ignoring the needs of those who hold our care system together. In 1970, we had 31 caregivers for every one person needing care. By 2010, that ratio dropped to 7:1. By 2030, it is projected to be 4:1. Our caregiver supply is shrinking while needs continue to grow. Without meaningful support, our systems — healthcare, long‑term care, and community supports — cannot function. (AARP, 2013)
Caregivers don’t ask for much. They want to keep their loved ones safe, comfortable, and at home. They want to stay healthy enough to continue providing care. SB 608 gives them the tools to do exactly that.
I urge New Hampshire lawmakers to support SB 608 and stand with the 281,000 residents who are quietly holding our care system together. We cannot keep waiting until caregivers collapse to offer help. We must provide the support they need now — before the burden becomes too heavy to bear.
Anne Marie Sirrine, LICSW, CDP is a staff therapist and the director of the REAP (Referral Education Assistance & Prevention) program at Seacoast Mental Health Center.
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