A Note to the Community

Fayette Street Residence Closure

 

 

 

With regret, Riverbend Community Mental Health will be closing its residential housing property at 4-6 Fayette Street in Concord this fall. The ten-bed facility currently provides housing for seven individuals.

Riverbend’s Board of Directors and senior team made this decision once it became apparent there would be insufficient state funding for residential services for the community mental health system. In collaboration with all of our partners from the Community Behavioral Health Association, we tried our best to secure funding for housing and uncompensated care in this state budget cycle. Unfortunately, we were unable to secure the funds needed to keep the Fayette Street residence in operation. In addition, the funding picture at the federal level remains uncertain.

Housing is a critical service we take seriously. Riverbend offers several housing options for clients needing varied types of services, from semi-independent living to 24/7 care for those with severe persistent mental illness. In a challenging housing market, every bed and every housing option that serves those with mental illness is essential. We take pride in providing safe, stable housing for nearly 50 individuals in Merrimack County, with the appropriate levels of therapeutic services for each individual.

Riverbend greatly values its relationship with our clients. To make this move as seamless as possible and to ensure continuity of care, we are providing two months’ notice for affected clients and their families or caregivers to organize their future care plans and pursue other housing options. Current clients who meet appropriate clinical requirements will be transferred to other Riverbend residential properties. In addition, the four Riverbend staff working at Fayette Street are being offered other positions within our agency, as we seek to retain talented team members. The changeover and closure of the residential facility is expected to conclude by Tuesday, September 16.

It is tremendously disappointing to cease our operations at Fayette after years of providing a great service to the community. We remain grateful for the support our overall mental health care system continues to receive from individuals, donors, and community partners.

 

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Riverbend Community Mental Health is a private non-profit and one of the largest providers of specialized behavioral health services for children, adults, and their families in central New Hampshire. Nearly 6,000 children, families and adults are served annually. Core services include 24/7 emergency services; counseling services; comprehensive community and school-based services for children; addiction recovery services; and community support, vocational services, and residential programs for adults and seniors. For more information, visit www.riverbendcmhc.org, or follow @RiverbendCMHC on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), or LinkedIn.