Pemi Bridge House

Our Story

The Pemi Bridge House (PBH) is a homeless shelter located in Plymouth, New Hampshire, that has provided shelter to families and individuals experiencing homelessness since 1989. This is our story.

The Need

When most people hear the word "homeless," they usually imagine people living in urban areas, sleeping on park benches, trying to keep warm next to grates on the sidewalk. But homelessness is a problem for urban and rural communities across the country, even in places like picturesque New Hampshire. Rural homelessness has been an issue in this country since the depression of the thirties. Like many small towns across America Plymouth used the homes of clergy, local hotels, and motels for emergency housing. For years Cal Carpenter, owner of the Plymouth Inn, provided short and long term housing at no charge to the community. Our local Ministerial Alliance, under the leadership of Bayard Hancock of Holy Spirit Episcopal Church began addressing the long term need for a homeless shelter in the mid eighties.

How We Began

In 1987 a small group of committed citizens began to focus on creating a home in the Plymouth area for the homeless. With the assistance of federal community action funds and with the help of the local Community Action Program (CAP), we were able to buy a two bedroom home with basement on Green Street and begin renovations. With the enormous help of businesses, churches and individuals we opened our doors in 1989, licensed to provide housing for 14 people. The Pemi Bridge House (PBH) continued to house families and individuals in very cramped quarters until 2005. The shelter had one full time staff member who, with the help of several part time staff members and many community volunteers, worked to enhance the skills and life possibilities for an increasingly needy and complex population.

Growing to Meet the Need

In 2002 we became independent from CAP and gained our 501c3 status as a tax exempt nonprofit corporation. The board of PBH, with the Town of Plymouth, applied for and received a Grafton County Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) of $700,000 to build a new facility on the grounds of the Whole Village Family Resource Center (WVFRC) on Highland Street. The total projected cost of the project was less than $1,000,000. It was this low in part because WVFRC donated the land, valued at $80,000, on which the building was to be constructed. In addition to the CDBG investment, the project used $95,000 of our own in funds which were raised through a $50,000 matching grant from the Dailey Family Trust. Construction of our new shelter was completed in the spring of 2005. We moved in on the 15th of May and dedicated the facility in July of that year.

Where We Are Today

We now house 20 people in a safe and secure environment. The new building has much improved private living quarters, handicap accessibility, staff offices and more adequate resident treatment space. The men's quarters are separated from the family section. The library, resident computer room and children's play area are all unique additions we have longed for. The kitchen and dining area for families is large enough to serve as teaching space for nutrition, cooking and life skills, as well as the traditional function of daily meal preparation. Take a photo tour of our new facility.

Entrance Photograph	Family Area Kitchen
Children's Playroom	Library and Computer Room

Our Track Record

Since our founding in 1989 we've met our goals by assisting residents to become independent, productive members of society. Our residents return to the community and live as productive citizens no longer requiring our services. This contrasts to the shelter community at large, which has up to a 60 percent return rate. The way we help residents succeed is by collaborating with local and state agencies and schools.

Who We Serve

The majority of our residents are single parent families who require temporary assistance in recovering from the unexpected complications of life. They range from disabled veterans, people with Alzheimer's disease, families dealing with divorce, bankruptcy, eviction, job loss and people recovering from addictions and other mental or physical health problems. A shocking reality is that the average age of a homeless person in this country is nine years old.

Our Current Needs

We continue to collaborate with local and state agencies and schools to enhance the success of our residents. Staff increases and other service needs for this growing population mean that community support will always be needed. We continue to enhance our programming with the assistance of individual donations of time and money, foundation grants, family and individual trusts and corporate contributions.

Want to Learn More?

Please join us for a tour of our facility and meet our staff and volunteers. A tour is available every Friday morning at 10:00. Please call 536-7631 to let us know you're coming. We'd love to show you our new building and the caring way we've provided shelter to families and individuals experiencing homelessness since 1989. This website at http://www.pemibridgehouse.org has more information on homelessness, our shelter, our staff and volunteers.