Winter overnight shelter at Isaiah 61 opens Friday; LRMHC to operate new warming center

LACONIA — As winter weather arrives in the Lakes Region, local organizations are coordinating to provide shelter and warmth for city residents experiencing homelessness.

Isaiah 61 Café will provide its overnight shelter for the third year in a row. Its 30 beds will be available for adults nightly from this Friday through March 31, opening at 8 p.m. Those looking to stay the night must check in between 8 and 9 p.m., and those who stayed the previous evening have a space reserved if they arrive before 8:30 p.m. the following night, according to Dawn Longval, the president and founder of Isaiah 61 Café, which operates a soup kitchen as well as its lower-barrier seasonal shelter. 

Usually, Longval said, about half of those beds are filled by nightly regulars, while the other half are filled by a rotating group. Since it opened two years ago, she continued, the overnight winter shelter at Isaiah has never had to turn people away because of capacity. This year she expects that to change, especially because programs that paid to house people experiencing homelessness in hotels expired this spring. 

“I’m already getting calls,” Longval said. 

During harsher weather conditions, Lakes Region Mental Health Center will provide a warming center in the city during the hours that Isaiah is not open. On days when Laconia Fire Chief Tim Joubert determines the weather warrants it, the warming center will be open for eight hours during weekend days and from 4 to 7 p.m. during the week, according to Director of Development and Public Relations Beth Vachon.

LRMHC received funding from the state Department of Health and Human Services for a second year, though this time for a two-year period, to provide a warming center in Belknap County. Last year its emergency shelter was on the former State School property. This year, and likely for foreseeable future winters, the shelter is located in a residential area near downtown, Vachon said. The exact location is available through LRMHC upon request, and Vachon noted the organization is working through its contact networks to make sure the people who are most likely to need the warming center know where it is and know how to access it.

The center will have two full-time staff and will be managed by Nicole Fitts; Vachon encouraged anyone with questions about it to reach out to her at 603-581-4807.

Last year, city officials worried there were not enough shelter beds in the city, including those at the Salvation Army’s Carey House, Belknap House and Isaiah, for the number of residents experiencing homelessness. The number of people who sought out emergency shelter was lower than expected, and this year LRMHC coordinated with partners to be open during times when other places are closed.

“I’m really thankful they’re trying to fill in the gaps where we aren’t able,” Longval said. 

“We’re hoping that, by pivoting operations a little bit based on lessons learned last year, that people will really be utilizing this,” Vachon said. “We tried to take all the feedback from last year and address the barriers and incorporate it this year.”

In addition to moving the center to a walkable distance from downtown, it will offer a secure location for belongings, serve meals and will have winter weather clothes and gear on hand, according to Vachon. 

The warming center has room for 15 people at a time and LRMHC does not expect to need more space than that.

After completing its public forums in the spring, the mayor’s housing task force this fall has been in the process of developing a strategic plan for the city to addressing housing issues and better supporting its residents experiencing homelessness.