Nonprofits seek city CIP support for child welfare, housing and youth programs

Manchester City Commission staff opened a series of Capital Improvement Program (CIP) presentations on March 12, outlining projected federal and local grant levels and inviting nonprofit applicants to summarize their requests for mayoral and budget consideration.

Applicants described requests ranging from small program underwriting to multi‑million dollar capital projects. The city’s CIP staff said anticipated federal sources include CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) at about $1,600,000, HOME program funds totaling about $1,200,000 and potential ESG funds of about $149,000; staff said they had received 35 requests from 30 non‑city agencies totaling roughly $3.2 million, plus 89 requests from 13 city departments totaling “around a hundred million dollars,” which included roughly $4.4 million in requests for city funds.

Why it matters: CIP allocations determine which community programs and capital projects receive city support in the mayor’s recommended budget. Nonprofits told commissioners their requests would support services for children, youth, people experiencing housing instability, and residents with disabilities or limited incomes.

Amaskeag Health, which operates pediatric integrated care and school‑based behavioral health, asked for CIP support to sustain case management and behavioral health clinicians embedded in clinics and 13 Manchester schools. Stacy Bealey, director of integrated health at Amaskeag Health, said the organization’s model “provides patient centered care and essential social services that empower at risk youth and their families to lead healthier, more successful lives physically, mentally, and emotionally.” Bealey described case managers who address domestic violence, food insecurity and housing instability and who connect families to activities that support child development.

The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Manchester asked that CIP funds be directed to the Union Street…