Children & Families
Creating nurturing & safe environments for children across NH
Children & Families
Creating nurturing & safe environments for children across NH
Thousands of children here in New Hampshire lack adequate access to basic life needs, such as food, clothing and housing – and no matter how hard they try, their families struggle to create the safe and nurturing environments these children deserve.
At the same time, hundreds of other children are subject to adverse childhood experiences or behavioral challenges that negatively impact their physical, emotional and cognitive development, as well as their overall health and well-being.
Our goal is to set children and families up for success through three key areas – emergency shelter and transitional housing, parenting and life skills education, and special education services for students with severe emotional and behavioral impairments.
Why This Matters
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More than 20,000 children statewide live at or near the poverty line, and 24,000 children reside in food-insecure households. Without access to basic essentials like food, clothing and housing, children face increased risks of physical illness, developmental delays, learning gaps, emotional challenges and shortened life expectancies.
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Recent estimates identify more than 4,000 children here in New Hampshire lack permanent housing and have no true place to call home. Those children carry a higher rate of emotional and behavioral issues, as well as a stronger likelihood of developing serious health problems.
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Nearly 30,000 NH school-aged children have a significant disability that can interfere to some extent with their educational progress. Over 2,000 of these students have a specific diagnosis of emotional or behavioral disturbances that make functioning and thriving in traditional classroom settings very difficult, or in many cases, not possible.
Our Response
Emergency shelter, transitional apartment housing and aftercare support services that help move mothers and children from homelessness to permanent housing with stable, secure and nurturing living environments.
Pregnancy, parenting and life skills education, as well as access to basic essentials, for families of children at risk of growing up in unsafe and unhealthy environments.
Academic, social, emotional and behavioral special education in a therapeutic setting for children who display severe behavioral issues and are generally unable to succeed in traditional classroom settings.
Results & Impact
Through our work, major barriers are removed from NH children, creating better opportunities for them to grow, reach their potential and experience successful futures. In the past year:
Stories of Impact
Twists and Turns: A New Mom Navigates a Pandemic
New Generation: Helping Jolie Get Back on Her Feet
New Life at New Generation
Support Catholic Charities NH
Your gift to Catholic Charities NH means a better tomorrow for your neighbors in need across the state, supporting our work with children and families, and those facing other key issues such as poverty, mental health challenges, homelessness, food insecurity and more.
Our Programs
New Generation
New Generation is an emergency shelter and transitional housing facility for pregnant women, as well as single mothers and children, experiencing homelessness because of domestic violence, substance use, mental health or other challenges. Through our wide variety of support programs, we help families get back on their feet and build self-sufficient futures with stable housing and jobs.
Our Place
Our Place is a curriculum-based program helping parents to provide their children with the best chance possible to grow up in nurturing and safe environments. Our pregnancy education services better prepare parents for childbirth, while our parenting education provides the knowledge and skills to create healthy starts for their children and reduce the risk of childhood stressors. We also provide donated basic essentials, such as diapers, wipes, clothing and formula, to help program participants with serious financial challenges.
St. Charles School
St. Charles School is a full-time licensed private special education provider for students, grades K-8, who display severe emotional disturbances and other forms of behavioral impairments in traditional classroom settings. We work with students to address the underlying causes of their behaviors, develop more positive behaviors and start reaching for their potential, both inside and outside the classroom.