HUD Designates Harbor Care as NH's First EnVision Center
David Tille and Peter Kelleher. Photo courtesy of The Nashua Telegraph.
On October 25, 2020, Harbor Care became the first agency in New Hampshire to be designated an EnVision Center by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The most vulnerable in our community often face not one but a host of challenges. Working on just one barrier, such as employment, often leaves other needs unmet. For example, if a person secures a new job but still has no care for chronic health issues, the job will soon be in jeopardy. A job loss often leads to a loss of housing, which can exacerbate behavioral issues like depression and substance misuse.
HUD has identified four such stress points that require support in order to create opportunities for vulnerable community members to realize self-sufficiency. They are: economic empowerment, educational advancement, health and wellness, character and leadership.
EnVision Centers are designed to act as service hubs, bringing community supports together to create greater service continuity and integration for individuals in need.
David Tille of HUD. Photo courtesy of The Nashua Telegraph.
Harbor Care is uniquely situated to provide services across all four platforms and to a broad range of clients: military veterans and their families; low-income residents; those struggling with homelessness, physical and mental health issues, substance use disorder and HIV/AIDS.
Harbor Care’s programs, which have been in place and running successfully for years, make it ideal for establishing New Hampshire’s first EnVision Center, according to HUD officials. They added that Harbor Care’s “unique range of well-established, comprehensive services and community partnerships,” will “address socially determined disparities in health, housing and success.”
HUD officials visited the Harbor Care Health and Wellness Center at 45 High Street in Nashua on Monday, October 25th, to announce the designation.
David Tille, administrator of HUD’s New England region, explained that EnVision Centers are designed to connect HUD-assisted families “with the tools they need to become self-sufficient and flourish.” Tille announced that Harbor Care has become New Hampshire’s first, and New England’s third, EnVision Center. The United States as a whole has approximately 60 such centers.
Mayor Jim Donchess told the assembly that, “Nashua is a community that cares, and everyone should have access to whatever opportunities they need to live their best life.” He added that having an EnVision Center in Nashua makes the city’s “existing support network for individuals and families in need of not just housing and financial support, but actual tools to guide them on a brighter path…even stronger.”
Scott Slattery of Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity. Photo courtesy of The Nashua Telegraph.
Harbor Care president and CEO Peter Kelleher said those affiliated with the agency “feel honored and privileged to be selected” the state’s first EnVision Center. “Thanks to our essential community partners, the fundamental means to improved health and stability will be provided to our underserved populations.”
Scott Slattery, executive director of Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity, said he fully supports bringing the EnVision Center to Nashua. “This hub of services for folks of low and moderate income is such a welcome addition to what we already provide here in our community,” Slattery said.
You can find out more about Harbor Care’s wrap-around supports by visiting www.harborcarenh.org or calling 603-882-3616.