Committee hears testimony on HB 519 funding request for Waypoint youth shelter

The Finance Division III chair convened a work session on Jan. 28 to consider House Bill 519, a funding request linked to Waypoint's homeless youth shelter in Manchester that serves young adults and provides case management aimed at preventing and shortening psychiatric hospitalization.

Katia Fox, director of the Division for Behavioral Health at the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, told the committee that “the department is in support of this bill, and of this program.” Fox said the department used transferred Medicaid and other available funds to cover $500,000 for the shelter across fiscal 2024 and 2025 — $100,000 for 2024 and $400,000 for 2025 — under a contract that runs through June 30. She described the shelter as a 14-bed operation that provides short stays of up to two weeks, case management, work-readiness support and transition planning.

The program, Fox said, supports both the state’s plans for emergency psychiatric care and the children’s system of care by helping young adults leave acute facilities faster and by offering an alternative to emergency departments for people without other housing options. “As a consequence of the housing market being tight and the difficulty in finding appropriate housing, it's hard to discharge people once they go into that acute setting,” Fox said.

Waypoint officials described operations and intake policies. Borja Alvaro Toledo, identified as CEO of Waypoint, said the shelter accepts residents aged 18 to 24 and does not impose preferences based on gender or sexual orientation. “We do…