MANCHESTER CHAPTER

The Manchester Chapter of GOSP focused its efforts in 2009 on the issues of housing and immigrant and refugee rights. In addition the chapter supported leadership training to help build GSOP’s base and reached out to new members and worked to activate members whose attendance has fallen away.

 

Housing

             Code Enforcement

The Chapter continued its push for effective housing code enforcement.  Many chapter members traveled to Concord to testify before the NH Senate’s Judiciary Committee in support of a bill introduced by State Representative Pat Long.  This bill would allow Cities to turn unpaid building code fines into liens on a non-complaint property.  In addition, the bill would require all landlords to inform tenants of the contact information for someone who is authorized to make building repairs and to receive service of legal papers.  This bill passed the house and was tabled in the Senate; we expect it to come before the Senate again in January 2010.

Chapter members held a number of press conferences to highlight the importance of good code enforcement in maintaining a safe, decent affordable housing stock. Most recently the GSOP Manchester Chapter and NeighborWorks Greater Manchester co-sponsored a survey of Manchester Mayoral Candidates regarding g housing issues.

Bed Bugs

The Manchester Chapter joined with member organization the American Friends Service Committee to mount the Langdon Mill Campaign.  This effort to rid a twenty unit affordable apartment building of bed bugs and other pests was a major undertaking.  GSOP and AFSC first formed a Campaign Steering Committee made up of religious originations, African organizations, service agencies, city departments, the building’s owner and others.  The Steering Committee helped organizes the tenants, move the tenants out for the building for two weeks, support the tenants during relocation, clean & treat the building, move the tenants back in and solicit donations to replace all tenant belongings.   Most of the families living in eh Langdon Mill were placed there by the refugee re-settlement agency when they arrived in Manchester. The Campaign has been successful and is now launched on its’ second phase: examining policies and practices to help prevent and eliminate future infestations.   We hope to convene a statewide conference on bed bug policy early in 2010.

 

Immigrant and Refugee Rights

Leadership Development

The Manchester Chapter, in collaboration with member group the NH Minority Health Coalition, supported training for three cohorts of Community Health Champions.  Community Health Champions is a leadership training program which helps low income, immigrant and refugee residents develop their leadership skills and implement community campaigns.   The first cohort consisted of staff and volunteers of the NH MHC; the second was made up of Latino leaders from Manchester, many of whom attend member congregation, St. Anne-St. Augustin.  The third cohort is made up of refugees from Somalia and Burundi.

Community Health Champions have met with members of the Manchester Police force to discuss perceived racial profiling of immigrants and refugees, they have met with elected officials to discuss their concerns and are planning to meet with area service providers to advocate for more culturally appropriate services.

                Accountability

The Manchester Chapter has continued its efforts to demand accountability from all private and public agencies serving immigrants and refugees.  In 2008 this included following up on a State Department Investigation into the International Institute, meeting with elected officials and staff of resettlement agencies and monitoring changes in Federal policies regarding immigrants and refugees.

 


NASHUA CHAPTER

 

The Nashua Chapter of GOSP focused its efforts this year on the issues of the need for additional housing to help end homelessness, housing code enforcement and just treatment of refugees.

 

Housing

           Ending Homelessness

Members of the Nashua Chapter corresponded with and met with the Nashua Continuum of Care to discuss the need for creation of more affordable housing as a key part of a strategy to end homelessness.  The Chapter offered to assist in any efforts to push city and state officials to create a sustainable stream of funding for affordable housing.  Chapter members also testified before the Nashua Board of Alderman on the use of Community Development Block grant funds for housing.

 

           Code Enforcement

The Chapter continued its push for effective housing code enforcement.  The Chapter met with local state representatives to ask them to support a code enforcement bill introduced by State Representative Pat Long.  This bill would allow cities to turn unpaid building code fines into liens on a non-complaint property.  In addition, the bill would require all landlords to inform tenants of the contact information for someone who is authorized to make building repairs and to receive service of legal papers.  This bill passed the house and was tabled in the Senate; we expect it to come before the Senate again in January 2010.  Chapter members contacted Nashua City Officials to ask for their support of this and other efforts to improve code enforcement.

 

Just Treatment of Refuges

                Accountability

The Nashua Chapter has continued its efforts to demand accountability from all private and public agencies serving immigrants and refugees.  In 2008 this included continuing to struggle to coordinate various church efforts to aid Nashua refugees, supporting Main St Methodist in their efforts and supporting the Manchester Chapter’s work meeting with elected officials, agency staff and others to advocate for fair and just treatment of refugees. 

SOUHEGAN VALLEY CHAPTER 

Souhegan Valley Rides (SVR), the non-emergency community transit bus service, has embarked on its third year of operation. As of January 2011, SVR provided over 3000 rides to residents of Amherst, Brookline, Hollis and Milford. To participate in the service, each community must fund its share of the bus service’s operating budget. Brookline and Milford contributed town funds to the service. Hollis funds its share through a motor registration fee to support the service.   In 2010, Amherst’s share was paid by an anonymous Amherst resident after that community voted down a motor vehicle registration fee warrant article. Currently, Souhegan Valley Rides is gearing up for its “Get Out the Vote” Campaign for the March Town Meeting vote.  GSOP was instrumental in bringing together the community members, now known as the Souhegan Valley Transportation Collaborative, who have rolled this valuable community resource forward. For more information, check out the Souhegan Valley Rides website.

The Souhegan Valley Chapter of GSOP focused its efforts this year on the issues of access to health care.

Health

                Access to Health Care

Souhegan Valley Rides, the non-emergency medical transportation system, celebrated its anniversary in October with 984 rides provided in the first year.  Brookline and Milford contributed town funds to the service, and Hollis voted to implement an automobile registration fee to support the service.   In July, the service expanded to provide shopping rides to four local shopping plazas.  Currently, Souhegan Valley Rides is partnering with Nashua Regional Planning Commission to create a strategic plan and gearing up for its Get Out the Vote Campaign for the vote in March.  For more information, check out the Souhegan Valley Rides website.

                Community Health

The chapter is bringing to GSOP’s 2009 Annual Meeting a proposal to expand its work on health to include food security, the availability of healthy, inexpensive food and one’s access to it, and food safety, the risk of foods transmitting disease from person to person and serving as a growth medium for bacteria that can cause food poisoning.  Members of the chapter are interested in encouraging the sale and consumption of local and organic foods, increasing low-income families’ access to food by organizing a backpack program and a summer food program for children, and lobbying for better FDA regulations.       



 
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