City welfare expenses drop during pandemic

LACONIA —  Since July 1, the city’s Welfare Office has provided about $15,000 to people in need, an amount that’s dwarfed by expenditure levels before the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In the 2019 fiscal year, for example, the city spent nearly $75,000 on welfare assistance. 

The reason for the decline? 

City Welfare Director Glenn Smith says fewer demands are coming in for the biggest categories of welfare assistance — help with rent and emergency housing. Demand is down, he said, because of the pandemic-related moratorium on evictions for nonpayment of rent.  

This is also being seen in other municipalities. Enhanced benefits available from other agencies also plays a role in the decline in demand for services at the local level. 

“Our expenses have dropped significantly this year and it is due to the lack of requests for assistance,” said Phillip L. Warren Jr., Meredith Town manager. 

“As of May 1, 2019 we expended $26,500 and this year we have expended $9,570 for the same period,” he said. “Definitely less. I expect this trend to continue while the eviction moratorium and enhanced unemployment compensation continue.”

In Belmont, General Assistance Director Donna Cilley said she is seeing a similar trend, which she attributes both to the eviction moratorium and to greater awareness of other aid programs, including those offered through the Community Action Program.

On March 16, 2020, Gov. Chris Sununu approved a moratorium on evictions for non-payment of rent. In September, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention instituted its own eviction ban and has extended it three times. The moratorium, intended to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 among the homeless or those living in congregate settings, is now set to expire at the end of June.

Other help is also available. Two months ago, a new emergency rental assistance program became available through Community Action Program agencies.

Smith said that since July 1 the Laconia Welfare Office has issued vouchers for $9,803 for shelter for homeless people, $2,700 for burial assistance, $3,768 for rental assistance and $325 for transportation. 

Old statute

Under one of New Hampshire’s oldest statutes, every town and city must have someone who administers local welfare, which is funded by property tax. The aide comes in the form of vouchers to help with basic needs including shelter, food, medications, rent and utilities.

Disputes sometimes arise over individual cases.

On March 27, 2020, a woman filed a complaint in Belknap County Superior Court against the city. The complaint demanded that the city make a vendor payment to the Best Western Hotel for up to 10 days to give her time to find shelter.

The court ultimately denied Jessica Berry’s request. 

Homelessness story

The complaint lays out one woman’s story of trying to overcome homelessness.

Berry moved to Laconia in June 2019, initially staying with friends, but living in the woods starting in January 2020.

She “decided to reclaim her life and started applying for jobs,” the complaint states.

Ultimately, she secured employment with Hannaford Supermarket in Gilford and started her job on March 23, 2020. She realized she would need shelter to be presentable for work, but Carey House, the Salvation Army’s 40-bed shelter, was full. 

As a single person, she wasn’t eligible to stay at Belknap House, a family shelter in Laconia.  

Limited assistance

The complaint stated that when she sought emergency shelter help from the city Welfare Office, she was told the city doesn’t do anything in regard to homelessness, and was referred to the fire chief’s office, which also said it didn’t have a policy for this.  

With the help of New Hampshire Legal Assistance attorney Stephanie Bray, she got help from the police and fire departments on March 25, allowing her to stay one night at the Landmark Inn, now the Best Western.

The next day, she again sought emergency shelter from the city and was offered one-way cab fare to a homeless shelter in Manchester. Since there was no guarantee of a bed when she arrived and no transportation back to her local job, this offer did not work for her. 

Ultimately, the city provided one more night for her at the Best Western, and she filed the lawsuit. 

Berry has no listed phone number.

Provided a copy of the complaint, Laconia City Manager Scott Myers had only one brief comment.

“That is certainly one side of a story,” he said. 

Bray, Berry’s attorney, said New Hampshire Legal Assistance has someone available to take cold calls from people having difficulty getting welfare assistance. That help could be simple as assistance in the application process or as complicated as a lawsuit.

Local responsibility

New Hampshire RSA 165:1 lays out local responsibility for providing assistance. 

The law states “whenever a person in any town is poor and unable to support himself, he shall be relieved and maintained by the overseers of public welfare of such town, whether or not he has residence there.”

The definition of “relieved and maintained” can be open to interpretation.

“Sometimes ‘relieved and maintained’ means more than a night at the Best Western,” Bray said. 

“We have observed it is a phenomenon I have seen in other towns and cities that to them ‘relieve and maintain’ means a bus ticket. But I want to emphasize, I don’t think we have been to Superior Court against the city since Ms. Berry’s case.”

Getting help

NH Homeless Hotline: Call 2-1-1 or 866-444-4211

Community Action Program: 603-524-5512

Laconia Welfare Division: 603-527-1267 or craymond@laconianh.gov

Carey House: 603-528-8086

Belknap House: 603-527-8097