State School site may house state's homeless COVID-19 patients

LACONIA — The state is looking at using a vacant building at the Laconia State School property as quarantine housing for homeless people who have tested positive for COVID-19, a spokesman for the state Health and Human Services Department said Tuesday evening.

Jake Leon's statement addressed fears voiced by county officials that there did not seem to be adequate security provisions to prevent the homeless people from wandering from the Dube Building, where the housing would be established. Another fear was that they the homeless would end up staying in the Lakes Region.

"If such a facility is needed, anyone who would require quarantining would be required to stay inside their room for 14 days in order to prevent spread of the virus," Leon said in a statement. "The State would ensure staffing, including an array of mental health and substance use disorder providers, security and food services. Once an individual’s 14-day quarantine expires, they would be transported back to their home community."

He said that as the state prepares for a potential surge of COVID-19 cases, it is doing comprehensive planning for clinical and various housing facilities.

An outbreak among the homeless could put an entire community at risk, he said.

Mayor Andrew Hosmer and Belknap County Commission Chairman David DeVoy complained the state did not adequately communicate its plan to local officials.

Leon's statement did not say how many homeless people might be housed in the building or when they would arrive.

County Sheriff Mike Moyer said he understood it could house up to 50 people and that first arrivals could happen as soon as Thursday, with some of the likely arrivals coming from Manchester and Nashua.  

The building is in a complex owned by the state, so the city doesn't have much say in the matter.

"I didn't find out about this until late last night, which first and foremost was very disappointing," Hosmer said.

The state has been involved in a process to redevelop the complex at North Main Street and Meredith Center Road, hoping to turn it into a development that would generate jobs.

"I'm getting an awful lot of feedback from residents in the community who aren't happy and feel blindsided," he said. "This is a piece of property with tremendous expectations for a transfer from the state to private entities.

"Laconia has carried its fair share of the water for the state on that property for over 100 years and once again part of me feels we are being taken advantage of."

The 22,685-square-foot Dube Building was constructed in 1969 and was used as a temporary headquarters for the state Marine Patrol in 2016. It is near the access road for Ahern State Park.  

County Administrator Debra Shackett drafted a letter to Gov. Chris Sununu Tuesday on behalf of the commission, the sheriff and the corrections superintendent.

"That property is directly adjacent to a very popular State park which is used for outdoor recreation," the letter stated. "This park provides an excellent opportunity for people to get outside for much needed fresh air and exercise while maintaining social distancing. 

"We are still severely lacking in personal protective equipment for our law enforcement agencies and nursing home. To add this additional pressure at this time will only make our situation more difficult.

"We feel strongly that this plan will only serve to spread the virus to our population, as well as draining our law enforcement resources and ask that other locations be sought for this purpose."

Most of the people who have tested positive for COVID-19 have come from the state’s southern area, including Manchester and Nashua, which also have much of the state’s homeless population.