Executive Director Ellen Groh Announces Retirement for End of 2022

Dear Friends,

I am writing to share with you that I will be retiring from CCEH at the end of 2022. My eight years as Executive Director at CCEH have been one of the most rewarding and fulfilling roles I have ever had. I have been amazed and humbled by the resiliency, creativity and compassion of the people experiencing homelessness that we serve. And I have been utterly blown away by the generosity of you, our donors, volunteers, supporters and partners. You have contributed your wisdom, your time and energy, your passion, and your funds to move our mission forward, and we would not be where we are today if it were not for you.

With your support, CCEH has taken great strides during my tenure. Together, we were able to purchase the Tom Fredenburg House for an expanded daytime Resource Center, build a new Emergency Winter Shelter, and create our “Housing First Concord” permanent supportive housing program for 15 individuals. We renovated the Green Street property into four apartments, and we purchased the West Street triplex as housing for people exiting homelessness. We have just embarked on our next renovation project, where we plan to create eight apartments on Pleasant Street. And of course, we navigated Covid-19, including the purchase of the First Church building as an interim location for the Resource Center and Emergency Winter Shelter to help prevent the spread of Covid. We are poised to soon have an accurate, dynamic “by name list” of every chronically homeless person in Concord, and we are sharpening our focus on creating more permanent housing opportunities.

While I have been “at the reins” for all these accomplishments, it was your support that truly made it all possible, and I will forever cherish the opportunity I have had to be part of this team effort! Our Board of Directors has formed a search committee, and we have allowed ample time for a smooth transition once a replacement has been identified. CCEH is in a strong position: our finances are healthy, and we have a dedicated staff, including a leadership team with diverse skills. Our Board of Directors is knowledgeable, committed and fully engaged in continuing to make CCEH a leader in responding to and ending homelessness in Concord.

It’s been a privilege and an honor to work for the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness for the past eight years. I look forward to watching CCEH as it continues to grow and evolve and reach the goal of ending chronic homeless in Concord!

With gratitude,

Ellen Groh, Executive Director

Dear CCEH Friends, Supporters, and Partners,

After close to a decade of leading the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness, Ellen Groh has announced that she will be retiring at the end of 2022. Since Ellen became its first Executive Director in 2014, CCEH has been fortunate to have Ellen’s leadership and the passion, dedication, creativity, and optimism that she brings to her work for the organization. She has made it her mission to do everything possible to try and fulfill CCEH’s mission to end chronic homelessness in Concord. On behalf of the entire Board, we thank Ellen for everything she has done for CCEH and wish her a happy and healthy retirement.

CCEH is well-positioned for a smooth transition in leadership. Ellen will be here to help CCEH through this change. CCEH has an engaged, knowledgeable, and committed Board of Directors and a strong core of staff leadership who share Ellen’s dedication to and passion for fulfilling CCEH’s mission. The Board has formed a search committee to identify CCEH’s next Executive Director and will be conducting a thorough search over the next several months.

We are committed to finding the right person to lead CCEH as we build on Ellen’s work and move into this dynamic and transformational time for our organization. CCEH provides critical, sometimes life-saving, services to individuals experiencing homelessness and has housed many individuals, both by matching them with private landlords and by increasing, bit by bit, Concord’s supportive affordable housing stock through the direct acquisition of properties. Yet we can see that ending homelessness in Concord will take more. It will take a truly community-wide effort, and we need to build a community-wide understanding that only an all-in strategy, with each participating according to their role, will end homelessness here in Concord. Together, we can end homelessness in Concord, and we look forward to continuing to work with all of you to make that happen.

Sincerely,

Benjamin B. Folsom, Chair

CCEH Board of Directors