A new report found New Hampshire has made improvements in reducing homelessness, even as its authors are bracing for changes to federal funding they fear could erase that progress in the future.
The 2025 report from the New Hampshire Coalition to End Homelessness analyzed 2024 data, the latest available.
The report found some good news:
- Homelessness decreased by 8 percent in New Hampshire’s 2024 point-in-time count, the third-highest percentage decrease in the country. The point-in-time count is a tally of how many people are homeless during one night in January. It shows how many people might not have a place to go, even during the coldest months.
- There are some signs that family homelessness is going down, decreasing by 8 percent to 10 percent, based on two data sets. From 2023 to 2024, families with children experiencing homelessness dropped from 793 families to 729 families, according to the point-in-time count.
- There was an 8 percent decline in the number of homeless veterans in 2024, indicating efforts to improve support for veterans is working.
It also identified some causes for concern:
- The most vulnerable individuals in the state are still struggling. People who have a disability and are “chronically” homeless – have been homeless for more than 12 months – make up a bigger percentage of the total homeless population in the state than they did previously.
- Unsheltered homelessness has almost quadrupled from 2019 to 2024.
- Older adults were identified as a group of critical concern, as this part of the population grows. Of those who experienced homelessness for the first time in 2024, almost one in four were 55 or older. The report found their risk of housing instability and homelessness continues to increase.
Changes to federal funding are also sparking concern among local advocates and providers.
“While there is much positive news for N.H. to celebrate within the pages of this report, the unfortunate truth is that the hard-earned gains made by providers and advocates are currently being overshadowed by critically concerning changes to federal funding for housing and homeless services,” Jennifer Chisholm, executive director of the New Hampshire Coalition to End Homelessness, wrote in the report.
“The new funding requirements and priorities threaten to destabilize the existing network of homeless services in NH and throughout the country,” she said.
New federal requirements could result in more than 400 people in New Hampshire losing permanent housing, the National Alliance to End Homelessness found.
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Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her @amanda_gokee.
