Every other week on NHPR, we like to put a spotlight on people and places doing interesting things around the state on Give Back NH.
Learn more about Liberty House, including how to donate and get involved here.
This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
Ashley Kitchell: Welcome to Liberty House.
Liberty House has been providing substance free housing and vital community connections to empower homeless and struggling veterans on their journey to independence and self-sufficiency in Manchester since 2004, and is the only sober-living home for veterans in New Hampshire.
This time around on Give Back New Hampshire, I visited Liberty House for a tour and to learn about the work and services they provide to the Manchester community, as well as the entire state.
Ashley Kitchell is the executive director of Liberty House. She started with the organization as a case manager in 2017. It was the sober living and accountability within Liberty House that drew her there in the first place.
Ashley Kitchell: It was very much a hand-up, not a hand-out program. We work with our guys from A to Z. When they first come to us getting essential documents, birth certificate, driver's license, ID, Social Security card, all of that. And it's also always a very fun, interesting thing because you need one to get the other. And so jumping through a lot of hoops, but our case managers are phenomenal at navigating the system.
One of the key things Liberty House provides is a mandatory savings account.
Ashley Kitchell: Saving money is a crucial piece to the program as well. So they actually save money with Liberty House. We have an account for them here, and so it's kind of out of sight, out of mind for them. They can utilize that money to pay off debt, buy a car, or just save for money when they move out for someone's rent security deposit.
Ashley says that while there is some initial resistance, in the end it's worth it.
Ashley Kitchell: Some of our guys put up a fight at the beginning, but by the end, when they have about $7,000, $8,000, $9,000 saved, they're very happy.
During my visit, we toured the facility on Orange Street in Manchester, where Liberty House has been located since 2020. Inside, there's housing for up to 18 veterans, a full service kitchen, a fitness center, a pantry, and a rec center with pool tables, shuffleboards, and plenty of space for veterans to connect with one another.
It was in the rec room that I spoke with Joey Coty, a veteran living and working at Liberty House. He was doing online work for college courses and says that the organization and the veterans there look out for their own.
Joey Cote: No matter what you might need help with, or even if you're embarrassed to talk about it, it's easy talking vet to vet. We will find you whatever you need and make sure that you get there.
Joey works down in the pantry in the lower level of Liberty House. Veterans, both residents and nonresidents can come in and shop for groceries, clothing, and other essentials, all of which have been donated by the community.
The pantry was the brainchild of Cindy Zucker, a volunteer with the organization with personal reasons for why she gives her time and energy to Liberty House.
Cindy Zucker: I'm a veteran's wife, mother, daughter, so it was very close to home and it helps our veterans very much.
That mission — helping veterans — was prevalent throughout my visit and with everyone I spoke with, including Stephanie Murphy, a case manager.
Stephanie Murphy: It's very fulfilling. It's really great to be able to learn their story and their history, and it really is just such a gift for us to be able to give back to them in this way.
The work Liberty House does does not go unnoticed by the veteran community.
Joey Cote: I mean, this place is literally a godsend.
One of the key struggles facing Liberty House right now is simply the need for veterans housing in the community. Ashley says that the need is continuing to rise year after year, and the hope for Liberty House is to one day have a second facility with more beds because of the need.
Before I left, I spoke with one more "staff member" at Liberty House.
Ashley Kitchell: Ezra is our facility dog who's a golden retriever. He's an angel. He's a trained service dog with some PTSD background. So really just like a big ball of love. It's hard to be in a bad mood when he's demanding your attention.
