CONCORD, N.H. — Henry Och, President and CEO of Harbor Care, and Katie Tovar Paciulan, Director of Veteran Services, were recognized Wednesday by Governor Kelly Ayotte and the New Hampshire Executive Council with a Recognition for Excellence in Service to New Hampshire Veterans for their leadership in efforts to end veteran homelessness in Manchester and across the state. 

The recognition was recommended through the New Hampshire State Veterans Council, which nominates individuals and organizations for recognition by the Governor and the state’s Adjutant General for outstanding service to veterans. 

“We’ve made real progress, but the work is not finished,” said Och. “Our goal is to build a system where veteran homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring. That outcome only happens when communities, government agencies, and nonprofit partners work together with urgency and shared purpose.” 

Harbor Care has played a central role in the statewide initiative Ending Veteran Homelessness in New Hampshire, a coordinated effort led by the New Hampshire State Veterans Council, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and community partners. The initiative aims to reach functional zero veteran homelessness in New Hampshire through coordinated housing placement, landlord engagement, and targeted support services. 

Over the past 18 months, Och and Paciulan have worked closely with Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais and a coalition of community partners to end veteran homelessness in the Queen City. At the start of the initiative, 47 veterans were identified as experiencing homelessness in Manchester. Since then, partners have secured stable housing for 84 veterans, including all 47 who were part of the initial list. Manchester has now met three of the four federal benchmarks used to measure progress toward ending veteran homelessness and is housing veterans faster than new cases emerge. 

Harbor Care and its community partners previously reached a similar milestone in Nashua in 2017, when veteran homelessness was effectively ended through a coordinated community response — an approach that now informs the broader statewide effort. 

For more information about Harbor Care Veteran Services, visit https://harborcarenh.org/veteran-services.  

Harbor Care is dedicated to breaking the cycle of homelessness through housing, healthcare, and veteran services. As an innovative nonprofit organization, Harbor Care assists more than 5,000 adults, children, and families in New Hampshire each year, offering solutions to some of life’s most challenging issues. The organization provides transitional and permanent housing; medical, dental, and mental healthcare; substance use treatment; HIV/AIDS support services; and veteran services for individuals and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Learn more at www.harborcarenh.org.