About Us
We are a group of concerned residents, elected representatives, nonprofit organizations, and community organizers.
Our goal is to advocate for shelter and affordable housing, and address homelessness in the greater Lebanon area.
History
In July 2016, the Lebanon City Council formed a Task Force to address the issue of homelessness in Lebanon, specifically at Market Street in West Lebanon, regarding property use, liability, and offers of assistance. Members of the Task Force included Deputy City Manager Paula Maville, Human Services Director Lynne Goodwin, Police Chief Richard Mello, City Councilors Karen Liot Hill and Bruce Bronner, Sara Kobylenski from the Haven, Kyle Fisher from LISTEN Community Services, Beverly McKinley from Silent Warriors, and Dianne Munson from Tri-County CAP. The Task Force began meeting in late July and concluded its meetings in September 2016.
Recommendations put forth by the Task Force were presented to the City Council on October 5, 2016. A public hearing was scheduled for December 7 to receive public input and take action on proposed Ordinance #2016—03 to amend the City Code to include New Chapter 49, City Property – Use of, to regulate overnight parking and camping on City-owned property. The ordinance was approved 6-2 by the City Council.
Human Services Director Lynne Goodwin extended an invitation to folks who were outspoken against the Ordinance to join together with service providers who were actively working to find housing for occupants of the Market Street lot in West Lebanon. An initial meeting took place on December 2, before the public hearing for the Ordinance. A subsequent meeting took place on January 6, 2017. The group named itself the “Housing First Working Group” based on the objective to address the issue of homelessness from a “housing first” perspective. The group continues to meet monthly, and coordinate a variety of efforts around the Upper Valley to improve housing resources in the region.
Our Approach
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, Housing First is “a homeless assistance approach that prioritizes providing permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness, thus ending their homelessness and serving as a platform from which they can pursue their personal goals and improve their quality of life.” This approach is guided by the belief that people’s basic needs must be met before they are able to attend to anything less critical, such as getting and maintaining employment, addressing health care needs, and tackling substance use issues.
From its inception, the Housing First Working Group has aimed to improve resources for the homeless in the greater Lebanon area; ranging from more shelter beds on one end of the continuum to more permanent, supportive housing on the other end of the continuum. The Housing First Working Group has met monthly since January 2017. Over time, it became more widely known as Housing First. Lynne Goodwin co-facilitates the group with Alice Ely from the Public Health Council of the Upper Valley.