Homeless got temporary stay at Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion

GILFORD — Town officials say a small number of homeless people were brought to the grounds of the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion over the weekend to stay in trailers in a move apparently related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Representatives for the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management did not return calls for comment.

Town Administrator Scott Dunn said a state Homeland Security official called Police Chief Anthony J. Bean Burpee on Friday to notify him of the operation.

Fire Chief Stephen Carrier said his department inspected a couple of trailers and approved them for 48-hour use.

Kristian J. Kelley, deputy chief of the Gilford Police Department, said his understanding was that the operation involved only two homeless people, who were tested for coronavirus and found negative.

He said they stayed there Friday and Saturday.

Perry Plummer, director of New Hampshire Homeland Security and Emergency Management, the state Joint Information Center and RJ Harding, president of the Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, did not respond to requests for comment.

Cathy Kuhn, director of the NH Coalition to End Homelessness, has said homeless people often have underlying conditions that make them vulnerable to the virus.

She said the state has been grappling with the question of where people who lack permanent addresses can reside while they await results of a coronavirus test, and who would staff such facilities.

On Tuesday, she said no formal plans have been drawn up to deal with this question. She said her understanding is that two homeless men were brought to the New Hampshire Pavilion last weekend and housed in trailers to await results of coronavirus tests.

She said she has not heard of any homeless people testing positive for the disease statewide.