Fayette Street Residence Closure

With regret, 51°µÍř 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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51°µÍř 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 , or follow @RiverbendCMHC on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), or LinkedIn.

How Can You Can Make a Difference? 

• Support our mission by donating to the Transforming Lives Through Support Naming Initiative. 
• Receive recognition with a named space or program within our agency.
• Leave a lasting impact on mental health in our community, and serve as an example to others.

Why Your Support Matters

Your donation will help us:

• Sustain our mental health programs and services.
• Reach more individuals in need of support.
• Continue to break down stigma and barriers to mental health care.
• Create a brighter future for our community.

The changing terms of Medicaid coverage from the pandemic era (2020-2023) have had a serious financial impact on mental health providers, making community support and funding more essential than ever. Riverbend established the Transforming Lives through Support Naming Initiative to secure crucial support for our organization’s programs, enabling us to maintain our reach and impact in Merrimack County and beyond.

Earlier this year, Riverbend relocated its administrative offices to downtown Concord, enhancing its community visibility, while transforming the former administrative office space at 278 Pleasant Street into a 12-bed community residence. The residence serves individuals with severe persistent mental illness, addressing a crucial need in our community and helping to mitigate emergency room boarding. By offering naming opportunities for rooms and spaces, we aim to generate vital resources to support our programs and continue to provide a healing environment. An example of the many services and programs Riverbend offers include:

• Counseling for children and families
• Autism supports
• Community Support: offering specialized services for adults with severe mental illness
• Walk-in care
• Integrated health
• Supported employment services
• Residential treatment programs
• Addiction & Recovery: Our Choices program provides outpatient addiction treatment
• Psychiatric Emergency Services:
• Mobile crisis team
• Crisis stabilization apartments
• Wellness education
  • Mental Health First Aid training
  • Trauma response services for those affected by critical incidents

Consider a tribute to a loved one or family through our Naming Initiative while simultaneously making a direct, immediate difference in one’s life! Local businesses, families and individuals have heeded this call, and we welcome others to our giving circle.

If you are interested in being a part of this initiative, please email our Director of Development, Brenda Aziz, at baziz@riverbendcmhc.org.

A new 12-bed housing facility in Concord will offer housing and onsite care for adults with Severe Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI). This latest residential facility from 51°µÍř Mental Health will open by the end of 2024, helping to serve a critical community need for housing.

278 Pleasant Street in Concord will be the location of the new residential facility – a historic property that is close to Concord Hospital and surrounded by peaceful forest. 51°µÍř Mental Health’s administrative office functions and a majority of the senior leadership team were formerly located at the property; those functions, leaders and some additional staff are now together in downtown offices at 29 School Street.

“Amidst a challenging housing market in our state, it has been very difficult to find properties that can meet the needs of adults with the dual challenges of mental health and physical limitations,” said Lisa K. Madden, president & CEO of 51°µÍř Mental Health. “When we at Riverbend made the strategic decision to vacate this location for our downtown office space, it was never a question for us that we would seek to maximize the 278 property and find a way to further serve the needs of those living with mental health challenges.”

The residence will be a 12-bed, licensed facility with 24/7 staffing, nursing support, laundry, meal planning, medication monitoring and daily activities. Eligible residents will be individuals with Severe Persistent Mental Illnesses (SPMI), with high mental health treatment needs and possibly with ambulatory issues. The home will allow Riverbend’s ever-growing, aging population of clients to access community-based treatment — and for those with mobility issues – have access to single-floor living, which can be difficult to find in the wider community. A select number of current Riverbend clients with mobility needs, who are already part of Riverbend’s residential system, will transfer to the new property at 278 Pleasant Street.

“This residence will be providing the highest level of care available within the wider Riverbend Residential Program for the aging SPMI population,” said Tracy (Moran) Byers, director of residential services at Riverbend. “Similar to our other three residential facilities, we want residents to feel comfortable and safe, with a sense of community and with the clinical care and support onsite that meets their specific needs.” Currently, Riverbend manages three additional residential facilities that provide safe, affordable supported housing to clients with varied care needs: Fayette House, Twitchell House and Mill House.

The State of New Hampshire’s Department of Health and Human Services generously provided Riverbend with a grant to convert the building from an office use property to a residential property. The grant funding also allowed Riverbend to purchase a van to transport residents in the community — an essential need to take clients to appointments, and for personal errands or shopping.

“One of the most significant challenges facing people living with mental illness is in securing safe, appropriate, stable housing,” said DHHS Commissioner Lori Weaver. “Riverbend’s focus on creating housing opportunities is setting a standard for the rest of the state. As DHHS continues to work with our stakeholder partners to address Emergency Department boarding, it is encouraging to see this investment in community-based supports that meet the needs of the people we collectively serve. We extend our gratitude to the team at Riverbend for their tireless efforts to turn their idea into a reality.”

Local contractor JH Spain, who has performed many quality building transformation projects for Riverbend over the years, did the build out on this project, with work now complete. In the lead-up to the opening date, Riverbend is also hiring direct support staff to provide onsite care and assistance for residents.

This residential project at 278 Pleasant Street dovetails with Riverbend’s recent sale of 3 North State Street in Concord. Riverbend sold what is commonly referred to as “The Monitor building” and its accompanying parking lot to a private buyer; the deal was finalized on July 19, 2024.

That buyer is now converting the space to a 12-bed facility that will provide supportive housing for adults with disabilities in the greater Concord community. Riverbend specifically sought out a buyer who would repurpose the Monitor building to serve the ongoing community need for housing for vulnerable populations.

FOR MEDIA:

Riverbend will host an Open House at the new residential property on Tuesday, November 12, for local dignitaries, state officials, key stakeholders and invited members of the public. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and will include remarks from Riverbend’s president & CEO Lisa K. Madden and state officials, tours of the new facilities, and light refreshments. If you are a member of the media and would like to attend, please RSVP to: pmclaughlin@riverbendcmhc.org

NOTE:

• For inquiries regarding eligibility for admission to residential property at 278 Pleasant Street, please contact Tracy Byers, Riverbend’s director of residential services, at tbyers@riverbendcmhc.org.

• For information on philanthropic naming opportunities or donations to the new residential facility, contact Brenda Aziz, Riverbend’s director of development at baziz@riverbendcmhc.org.

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Celebrating 60 years of hope and healing, 51°µÍř 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 8,000 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 , or follow @RiverbendCMHC on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.