For more than 30 years…
The Upper Valley Haven has provided temporary shelter and educational programming for homeless families and adults as well as food and clothing to anyone in need. The Haven has fostered independence through our Shelter Advocacy, Aftercare, Outreach and Education Programs. The Haven is open 365 days per year and never charges for any of its services. We serve over 6,800 people per year.
An estimated 50 people a night are homeless in the Upper Valley; they live in the woods, in tents, in their cars, or on the couches of family or friends. Hundreds more are the “working poor;” despite holding jobs, they struggle to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table.
It is difficult to adequately describe the stress and range of emotions surrounding homelessness and poverty. The same is true of the rewards our donors, staff, and volunteers experience from helping those in need.
In 2011 the Haven provided:
• SHELTER for 40 families (86 children, 26 men and 40 women for a total of 152 persons) and 146 adults (102 men and 44 women, of whom there were 6 couples and 19 veterans)
• FOOD for 3,075 households with 9,038 members (3,259 of whom were children). There has been food supplied for one household for one week on 10,607 occasions
• CASE MANAGEMENT (for community members, not including shelter guests) support for 3,870 individuals (about 78 have been related to Tropical Storm Irene)
• CLOTHING for 6,715 individuals
• ACADEMIC SUPPORT to 37 school aged children (both current and former guests at our Family Shelter) at the Afterschool Program
• ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES to 75 children of all ages
• LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES to more than 140 adults
We invite you to explore this website to get a sense of the compassion offered and range of services provided by the Haven. If you are interested in our work, call or visit to learn more about how you, too, can help to make a difference in our Upper Valley community.
