Manchester officials warn shelter funding will lapse Aug. 31; staff outline medical vulnerability and winter-warming gap

City staff told the Manchester Board of Mayor & Aldermen that state and federal funding for a 40-bed shelter and the adjacent engagement center is scheduled to end Aug. 31, leaving the city without a known winter-warming alternative and raising questions about care for medically vulnerable residents.

A city staff member leading the presentation said the shelter at 39 Beech (capacity 40) currently includes 14 people described as "medically compromised," 21 people with chronic health conditions and 20 people with physical disabilities. The staff member reported that 13 percent of residents are over age 65; eight use wheelchairs; two have leg amputations; one uses a walker; and two use oxygen.

The engagement center, the staff member said, is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and serves…