Community Help Needed to Furnish New Emergency Shelter

MANCHESTER, NH - Families in Transition (FIT), a Manchester, Concord and Dover, NH, based homeless services provider is nearing completion on their latest project, the Family Place Resource Center and Shelter, 177 Lake Ave, Manchester, NH. This new facility will not only provide shelter to families experiencing homelessness, but will also partner with area nonprofits to provide on-site services, specifically tailored to help meet the needs of homeless families under one roof. However, furniture, dishes, bedding, and other household items still need to be purchased in order for the facility to open.

We’re in the home stretch and are reaching out to the community to help us furnish and up-fit the shelter, so that families experiencing homelessness will have a safe place to sleep, eat healthy food, and get the services that they need to get back on their feet again,” said Maureen Beauregard, Founder and President of FIT. “In the spirit of giving, we’re inviting the community to take part in making the lives of homeless children that much brighter. In addition, we’re inviting people to take part in our candle light walk and open house event on the twenty second.”

Having raised 95% of the needed funds to complete this project, FIT is still in need of just over $100,000 in essential items to open the facility. Individuals and businesses can give monetary donations online at getinvolved.fitnh.org/donate and in-kind purchases can be made on their online registry at myregistry.com/public/fitnh.

Join FIT on Tuesday, December 22, winter solstice, for their Family Place Resource Center and Shelter Open House. The event kicks off at 4:00 PM with a candle light walk from the Radisson Hotel, 700 Elm St., to the shelter at 177 Lake Ave. for an aerial group photo, ceremony, ribbon cutting, and tours of the facility. Attendees are asked to RSVP by Tuesday, December 15, to events@fitnh.org or by calling (603) 641-1143 ext. 329.

The Family Place Resource Center and Shelter will provide shelter and vital resources to help families get back on their feet. By partnering with other local organizations, such as Southern New Hampshire Services Head Start, New Horizons, Goodwill, and Mobile Community Health Team of Catholic Charities, FIT can now provide families with nutritious meals, health services, a therapeutic preschool, career assistance, and more. FIT’s goal is to have the facility complete and ready to move families in by early January. To learn more about the facility and its services visit fitnh.org/familyplace.

Families in Transition is a nonprofit organization that provides safe, affordable housing and social services to individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, enabling them to gain self-sufficiency and respect. FIT also owns and operates two thrift stores in Manchester and Concord, NH, both of which serve as economic engines to help pay for services that FIT provides. For more information about FIT, the shelter, and the stores visit fitnh.org or call 603-641-9441.