The New Hampshire departments of Justice and Health and Human Services sent out a press release yesterday regarding the state and homeless camps in Manchester. Individuals whom DHHS and DOJ claim are receiving no welfare support from Mayor Craig and the city.
Cities and towns are responsible under New Hampshire law, specifically RSA 165, to provide welfare to residents who need assistance. At this time, the City of Manchester is not offering any welfare services to the individuals at the courthouse encampment.
Despite this, the State has been in constant contact with city leaders regarding this homeless camp and the homelessness issue more broadly. Any claim that the State has not communicated to city officials regarding this encampment is patently false.
Ouch.
The Press Release makes it sound like the State has been working all year to resolve Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig’s problem.
“Since the spring, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Attorney General’s Office have been working with State contracted providers to assist individuals who are currently residing on the lawn of the Hillsborough County North Courthouse and in other encampments in the city. In the beginning, the providers were making site visits multiple times a week.
Over the course of the past two months, they have been visiting the site daily, including weekends. DHHS coordinates and collaborates with multiple agencies within the community and the Manchester Continuum of Care, which is responsible for administering and coordinating federal HUD funding to homeless service providers in Manchester, to meet the needs of individuals experiencing homelessness. DHHS also has contracts with outreach teams statewide, including a contracted outreach partner in the Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester.
So, did Mayor Craig offload this matter onto the state and wash her hands of the problem if I get their meaning?
Joyce Craig, the compassionate Democrat mayor of the people. Well, some of the people. Select city employees, donors, political hacks, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti when he dropped by to help Joyce get re-elected. And the folks at Mayor Private Pools exclusive club where she and her family are members.
During multiple, heated debates, Mayor Craig and Director Thomas insisted that keeping the pools closed was a matter of public health. Mayor Craig said, “All I’m telling you is the decisions that have been made in the city of Manchester have been made based on data and keeping our community’s youth and adults safe.”
Arrangements were made to ensure the private pool she uses was open even after she insisted on continued lockdowns for public pools and splash pads ‘cuz COVID19.
Maybe they could move the homeless camp there? Assuming the homeless people want to live at Mayor Craig’s private swim club.
Indoors. Plenty of places to clean up. And she could keep a better eye on them, not that the Courthouse lawn should have been all that difficult a situation to keep her attention.
