Manchester To 'End Veteran Homelessness' By 2026, Mayor Vows

MANCHESTER, NH — Manchester's mayor Jay Ruais announced his goal Friday of "effectively ending veterans' homelessness in Manchester" by the end of his term in January 2026.

There are currently 47 former military service members experiencing homelessness in Manchester, according to Ruais.

Many of them are connected to veteran service organizations and are in transitional housing units waiting for a permanent housing opportunity to come along, though others are either living with friends or family members or on the streets, officials said.

The goal is to give each military service member and their family a permanent place to live.

"To achieve this milestone for our homeless military service population, Manchester will be operating off of a full accounting of these individuals at all times, maintaining quality, real-time, comprehensive data on the veterans' experiencing homelessness," Ruais said.

With the support of state and local government leaders, veterans' support groups, and city landlords, Ruais' office has already facilitated landlord recruitment, prioritization of service members by the Continuum of Care, expansion of the stakeholders' group, and the finalization of a journey map for an individual to achieve housing, according to officials.

The Veterans Subcommittee of the Continuum of Care will also hold biweekly meetings to "track progress and ensure accountability," officials said.

"We have set our sights high because in Manchester we don’t shrink from a challenge," Ruais said. "We don’t shirk our responsibilities and we know anything is possible if we put our minds to it."

He continued: "Even one homeless military service member is too many. It's only right we put a reliable roof over their heads given everything they have sacrificed for our country. It brings to mind the famous quote: A veteran is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to the United States of America, for an amount up to and including their life."

Governor Chris Sununu said that "New Hampshire is the #1 destination for veterans across the country" and that with Ruais' announcement, their "commitment to standing tall to support those who stood tall for us is stronger than ever.

"We are taking bold steps to do right by our veterans," Sununu added.