Staffers are fighting for HOPE center

BY TIMOTHY LAROCHE
[email protected]
CLAREMONT – As the March 3 closing date for Claremont’s peer recovery center looms, staff members are taking to the internet in hopes of breathing new life into efforts to save it .

HOPE for New Hampshire Recovery, the Manchester-based non-profit, announced last week it will consolidate operations in its Manchester office and close four centers across the state, including one in Claremont. Centers in Berlin, Concord and Franklin will also close.

Members of the organization’s board of directors say the closures follow a period of financial stress. Rather than risk an organization-wide bankruptcy, board members made the decision to consolidate efforts at the flagship Manchester center.

In the days following the board’s announcement of the closings, supporters took to social media and fundraising websites to find a fix. A GoFundMe page started by Claremont Center Manager Wayne Miller already reached $2,050 of its $10,000 goal as of Tuesday evening.

“With an absence of state and local funds, it’s up to our communities to come together to support one another,” Miller said. “The process of recovery spans a lifetime and the journey should not be taken alone. Peer-based recovery community centers provide an anchor for individuals and families who are taking that journey.”

Meanwhile, more than 230 people have signed an online petition to the United States Department of Health and Human Services to provide funding for continued Claremont center operations. More than 2,000 supporters of the Berlin center also pushed for similar intervention from both state and federal politicians.

Since the Claremont center opened in July 2016, more than 1,700 people have used the center’s services. The center has 200 active members on file, along with 75 people who regularly access peer support services. Other centers in the state have seen variable success, with daily attendance ranging from six clients each day at the Franklin center to more than 400 clients each day at the Manchester center.

Funding for the organization was almost entirely generated through Manchester-area business partnerships, but fundraising efforts at the satellite centers saw less success. In the past six  months, the Claremont center raised about $13,000, board member Joe Graham said.

“Unfortunately, the costs to operate the centers are significantly higher than the revenue available to each center,” Executive Director Melissa Crews said. “While no one wants to see the centers close, our board realizes that the majority of the organization’s funding sources have been Manchester area businesses, organizations and donors.”

Legislation that would have opened state funding to stabilize the organization and other similar groups providing public health services was killed in the Senate this month. Senate Bill 542, introduced by Sen. Jeff Woodburn, D-Whitefield, was deemed inexpedient on Feb. 15. in a 14-10 decision.

 

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