Manchester day care says growing number of homeless people raising concerns
Facility says discarded needles, other issues prevent staff from taking children to playground
Facility says discarded needles, other issues prevent staff from taking children to playground
Facility says discarded needles, other issues prevent staff from taking children to playground
Workers at a day care center in downtown Manchester say they are frustrated and don't feel safe as the population of homeless people increases feet away from their facility.
The corner of Manchester and Pine streets in downtown Manchester is lined with tents. The nearby Families in Transition shelter can house 138 people and 11 families, but officials said they're running out of room.
"We've been full for both of those locations ongoing for months," said Stephanie Savard, of Families in Transition.
On the other corner of the intersection is the Kindertree Learning Center.
"We've seen some sexual activity in the neighborhood right outside our window," said Kristine Larocque, owner of Kindertree Learning Center. "Parents are approached sometimes when they come to pick up their kids at the door."
The owners of the day care said they provide a nice facility for children, but the growing population outside is causing a problem.
Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig released a statement saying the city is doing what it can to get people into shelters.
"Nonprofit partners do outreach to this encampment daily to encourage individuals to access the available services," Craig said in the written statement. "The Manchester Police Department has significantly increased patrols to the area and is coordinating with the Department of Public Works to provide safe storage for the belongings of those individuals experiencing homelessness."
Larocque said more needs to be done.
"Nobody would come out to help us," she said. "They told us they would send us pamphlets and they would get us lockboxes so we could pick the needles up ourselves and dispose of them. I don't feel comfortable doing that. My staff doesn’t feel comfortable doing that."
In a walk around the facility, News 9 spotted a needle left a few feet from the day care's front door.
"We're not able to bring the kids out to the playground anymore because of the things we're seeing and hearing," Larocque said.
Savard said solutions will take time.
"This is a challenging problem and not something that will be easily solved," she said. "It really is about us collaborating together as a community to come up with solutions."