In the spring of 2008, a group of service providers and faith-based organizations came together with the goal of coordinating their efforts to provide needed services, share information and expertise, and to seek funding opportunities to end homelessness in Concord. From this, CCEH was born in June of 2008, and received 501(c)3 status in August the same year.

In December 2008, CCEH began operating the Concord Homeless Resource Center at 6 South State Street. The Resource Center’s main goal was to provide a centralized resource for guests of the volunteer-run Emergency Cold Weather Shelters.

Members of CCEH Board of Directors worked with numerous stakeholders on a mayoral Steering Committee to create Concord’s Plan to End Homelessness, which was adopted by the City Council on April 14, 2014. In that same year, CCEH hired its first Executive Director, and became the lead agency for implementation of the city’s Plan. The organization stepped up its efforts around permanent supportive housing.

In partnership with Crossroads House of Portsmouth, NH, CCEH launched a Housing First program, Housing First Concord. This permanent supportive housing program serves individuals who were formally chronically homeless and who have the highest barriers to obtaining and maintaining housing.

On May 1, 2015, the Resource Center moved to a larger location at 238 North Main Street. The larger space allowed for showers and laundry facilities to be added, and CCEH hired a Resource Center Manager to oversee the day-to-day operations and volunteers at the Resource Center.

The expansion of services and staff led in part to CCEH being honored with the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Pinnacle Award for Non-Profit of the Year in June of 2016.

In 2017, thanks to the generosity of former CCEH board member Tom Fredenburg, CCEH bought the building at 238 North Main Street. The main house was named in Tom’s honor after his unexpected passing in 2019. The real estate purchase also enabled CCEH to fundraise for and build the Emergency Winter Shelter building behind the main house. Construction for the shelter began in late 2017. 

The Emergency Winter Shelter opened its doors in December of 2018. The shelter provides warm beds for up to 40 individuals from December through March and is managed by several seasonal overnight staff members and numerous volunteers throughout the winter season. 

In 2019, CCEH was given a chance to purchase the building at 10 Green Street in Concord and convert it into four one-bedroom units for homeless individuals. Green Street Apartments opened its doors in early 2021.

Thanks to extensive effort from Warrenstreet Architects, Inc., careful attention to detail and restoration of the original architectural and design elements earned CCEH and Warrenstreet the 2022 NH Preservation Alliance Achievement Award for the rehab and re-use of Green Street.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented some intensive challenges for CCEH. The Resource Center could not operate at the same capacity while keeping clients, staff, and volunteers safe. The Resource Center operated temporarily out of a large event tent in the parking lot between the main house and the Emergency Winter Shelter building during the pandemic’s early days.

CCEH utilized CARES Act funding to purchase the First Church building at 177 N Main Street in late 2020, utilizing the main function space for Resource Center operations and the education wing for the Emergency Winter Shelter, allowing for social distancing protocols and giving the same access to resources as pre-pandemic.

CCEH never intended to keep operations out of 177 N Main Street long-term, and staff began researching the feasibility of converting the building into housing for clients coming from homelessness. After much discussion with other organizations and careful consideration, CCEH leadership and the board determined that it was not feasible for CCEH to pursue a housing development project of this size and scope.

CCEH began intensive research into housing creation, and what paths the organization might take to increase the housing stock in the Concord community for individuals coming from homelessness. The “Paths Toward Housing Solutions” document was developed in collaboration with partner organizations to pursue different approaches to creating housing.

In the fall of 2021, CCEH hired a full-time staff person to oversee street outreach and data collection efforts, a critical aspect of understanding the scope of the homelessness situation in the community. Street Outreach also serves as another way to build rapport with individuals in the greater Concord area who are unable to come into the Resource Center or unaware of the services CCEH provides.

CCEH focused efforts on creating a “By Name List” of individuals experiencing homelessness in the greater Concord community. The list is to understand where people are, what their barriers to housing are, what their immediate needs are, and what resources they could access to help them on their housing journey.

For the first time in CCEH’s history, we have an accurate accounting of individuals experiencing homelessness in our community.

In October 2021, CCEH purchased a triplex on West Street in Concord and moved two clients into vacant units in the building shortly after. The building currently houses four individuals coming from homelessness in the three units. 

In early 2022, Ellen Groh, CCEH’s first executive director, announced her plans to retire from the organization at the end of the year.

CCEH continued the housing development path and purchased two buildings on the corner of Pleasant Street and Liberty Street in Concord in early 2022, with the intention of redeveloping the buildings into eight units for clients coming from homelessness. Due to funding constraints, construction could not begin right away. Thanks to the efforts of our board, staff leadership, and the construction team, Pleasant Street Residences opened to tenants in June of 2024.

In December of 2022, Karen Jantzen assumed leadership of CCEH as the organization’s second executive director. The staff had grown to 10 full-time employees and one part-time employee, with a seasonal winter shelter manager and multiple winter shelter staff.

In January of 2023, CCEH received news that it had been awarded $1,000,000 of Congressionally Directed Spending funds through Senator Jeanne Shaheen’s office to purchase additional real estate for housing development projects.

CCEH received a commendation from Governor Chris Sununu and the Executive Council at their February 2023 meeting, noting that CCEH is a great partner in the efforts of the city and state to help people experiencing homelessness.

Throughout 2023, CCEH strengthened and refined its street outreach efforts and processes, focusing outreach on referrals to resources and completing necessary applications to get people housed, and less on delivering supplies to people in encampments. CCEH’s “By Name List” recorded that, as of the end of 2023, 499 individuals in Merrimack County were experiencing homelessness, with 313 being considered long-term homeless.

In collaboration with Representative Annie Kuster and Senator Jeanne Shaheen, in mid-2023 CCEH applied for $2,500,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending funds for fiscal year 2024 to build a new Resource Center hub.

In March 2024, CCEH received word that the 2024 federal budget signed by the President included $2,000,000 in CDS funding for CCEH’s new Resource Center hub.

Members of South Congregational Church approached CCEH leadership to gauge whether CCEH could convert the former Resource Center building into housing for individuals experiencing homelessness. CCEH purchased the property in December 2024, and demolition began shortly thereafter. South State Street Residences will be CCEH’s fourth housing property and the organization’s third development project.

There are numerous ways to help support CCEH’s campaign to “come home” to South State Street and ensure the project makes it to the finish line! Check out our CDFA tax program opportunity or make a donation to our Annual Appeal.

Beginning in late 2023, CCEH leadership embarked on an intensive, year-long process led by Strong Resource Group to outline where CCEH will focus and drive our resources over the next three years (2025 to 2028). Through rigorous internal and external analysis, environmental research, stakeholder feedback, and input from the board and staff, Strong Resource Group uncovered important recurring themes. These key findings, when factored against our mission, vision, and values, informed the organization’s focus areas for the coming years.

At the direction of CCEH’s board and staff leadership, CCEH will spend the next three years focusing on education and advocacy, client services, and resource management.

Within education and advocacy, CCEH’s goal is to be creative and innovative in our strategies to inform the community on the issues surrounding homelessness. We will do this by increasing awareness and understanding of homelessness; by leading the community-wide effort to reduce stigmas around homelessness; and by being an integral thought leader and participant in city, county, and state efforts to end homelessness.

With client services, CCEH’s goal is to be aligned and have clarity on our mission, and we will concentrate on client-based programming. We will do this by providing evidenced-based practices that have effectively moved people out of homelessness; by increasing access and reducing barriers to client services; and by decreasing the time it takes to get people housed.

Finally, within resource management, CCEH’s goal is to have strong internal and external infrastructure to achieve our strategic and operational objectives. We will do this by using data to inform and evaluate all levels of our work; by building the resources to ensure long-term financial health; and by investing in our staff and technology infrastructure.