Spring Street Forward

“We will provide educational resources that will go beyond enabling people to move out of the shelter, the goal is to give them the resources to live independently.”

– Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter Executive Director, Michael Reinke

Our new emergency shelter at 35 Spring Street, once the home of Sacred Heart Elementary School, will nearly triple our capacity and enable NSKS to significantly expand services to help clients secure stable housing. The shelter will include a 48-bed family shelter, an 18-bed shelter for single men, a 14-bed shelter for single women, and 11 studio apartment units for permanent, supported housing.

At 20,000 square feet the building will also accommodate two spacious, flexible classrooms for a wide range of supportive programs for NSKS clients and community members, from HiSET and financial literacy classes to AA meetings. Spaces for onsite health care, child care, and other services will make it possible for NSKS to fully support clients in accessing stable housing.

To learn more about the Spring Street Shelter, download our case statement or view our campaign video with co-chairs Joe Bates and Jenn Morton.

One of two classrooms, where clients and community members can participate in a wide range of programs, from financial literacy and HiSET classes to AA meetings

NSKS has embarked on an $8.5 million capital campaign to help make the new shelter possible and has raised $7.8 million to date including support from state and local government, Nashua area businesses and foundations, and many generous individuals. In addition, we have been offered a $315,000 1:1 challenge grant with a June 30 deadline, effectively doubling gifts to the Spring Street shelter. This is a wonderful time to join the Nashua community in support of this important project!

Please consider a gift to help us reach the finish line! There are a variety of ways to support the project, from outright gifts to pledges, which can be fulfilled over three years, and gifts of stock. The building has a wide range of naming opportunities, and all gifts of $5,000 and more will be recognized on a centrally located dedicatory plaque.

To learn how you can support this project, contact Scott Hamann, Director of Development, via email or call 603.889.7770 x 1132.

NSKS is the only emergency shelter for families in Nashua, offering a safe place to stay when there is nowhere else to turn. The Spring Street Shelter will increase our family shelter capacity from 18 to 48 beds, with shared kitchen and dining areas so families can cook and eat together. Our spacious child care room will offer a place for children to play and learn while their parents meet with NSKS counselors, seek permanent housing, apply for jobs, and take classes.

One of two kitchens in the family shelter