With bitter cold in the NH weather forecast, and limited capacity to shelter youth experiencing homelessness, Waypoint is putting out an urgent request to the community for donations of survival gear including the following: sleeping bags, winter jackets, tents, hand and foot warmers, gloves, hats, and blankets.
Donations may be dropped off between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., this Thursday and Friday, at the agency headquarters at 464 Chestnut St. in Manchester, or at the Youth Resource Center on 3 Wallace St. in Rochester.
Waypoint made motr than 1,500 contacts with youth experiencing homelessness in NH last year and has seen and influx of young people since the opening of the agency’s new overnight emergency shelter and youth resource centers last fall. The agency’s 14-bed shelter cannot accommodate the current and growing need. Staff report that most of the young people they see feel that they have no options for returning home or accessing shelter where they feel safe.
“While the goal is to end youth homelessness altogether,” says Borja Alvarez de Toledo, president and CEO of Waypoint, “as long as there are young people out there fighting the elements in places not fit for human habitation, it is imperative that we do what we can to mitigate their suffering, optimize their safety, and help them to survive. This is a true matter of survival.”
For further information, visit www.waypointnh.org or call 1-800-640-6486.
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