MANCHESTER, N.H. – On Tuesday night’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, Alderman Mike Porter asked Mayor Joyce Craig why only $300,000 of $2.9 million given to non-profits since April 2019 on the issue of homelessness had been spent as of October.
During the meeting, Craig believed those figures were misleading given circumstances on the ground such as hurdles related to renovation and finding appropriate locations to housing the city’s homeless population.
Manchester Department of Planning and Community Development Director Leon LaFreniere promised to provide a detailed response to Porter’s question, which can be found below.
In a statement to Manchester Ink Link on Thursday, Porter said his question was not meant to be confrontational, but rather advance dialogue over the issue, which he hopes can eventually rise to the point where all stakeholders can meet together and work toward solutions.
“I was looking to start the conversation by moving the issue forward regarding homelessness. We have to work together; we can’t do it alone. Let’s get the ball rolling,” said Porter. “We talk about these things incessantly at meetings and nothing seems to get done. I’d love to see more city and state collaboration.”
On Wednesday, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu responded to a letter from New Hampshire’s mayors regarding the issue of homelessness, noting that over $3 million had been given to Manchester alone over the current fiscal year budget regarding homelessness.
