You can also meet Mr. Mt. Washington Valley: Dan Lavigne!
Pictured above, left to right: Jeanette Heidmann (Bd of Directors, Way Station), Dan Lavigne, the 'face' of the Way Station and currently Mr. Mt. Washington Valley, and Rev Gail Doktor (Bd of Directors, Way Station & pastor, Jackson Community Church)
From the Sun: "With state funds at local hotels drying up, and its supply of tents and tarps almost depeleted, The Way Station will be seeking donations at an event at the Conway Walmart on Saturday."
The article also discusses the legacy of the Cold Weather Shelter program, which is now over, since funding has ended. Emergency state funds, directed to our county, were used by the Way Station through the worst of the winter months to provide varied forms of shelter for households throughout the county. We worked with hotels as far south as Ossipee and several in the Mt. Washington Valley. We also provided cold weather emergency kits with seasonally-appropriate gear. (The Cold Weather program is separate from the article's references to the New Hampshire Emergency Rental Assistance Program / NHERAP program which is managed by Tri-County Cap in our region.)
During the interview, the Sun staff member asked if we experienced loss of life during the winter. (In prior winters, unhoused folks in places like Manchester, NH died due to exposure). In our region, everyone survived. The Emergency Cold Weather Program wasn't a long-term solution to addressing lack of sustainable shelter, only a front-line, multi-pronged approach to keeping people alive during the toughest conditions in the winter months. Again, the program is now finished.
More info and full article: https://www.conwaydailysun.com/news/local/help-the-way-station-help-the-homeless/article_931ba1c2-e081-11ed-943f-c38d933413ee.html