Emergency Shelter

House of Hope’s main emergency shelter opened in 1985 at 812 Merrimack Street. In 1994, we purchased the location, and through the years purchased the two adjacent lots, added a playground and picnic area, and completed a major expansion, adding 2,800 square feet of living and program space to the shelter. Today, the building has three stories of living space, a common dining area, and an exceptionally large indoor and outdoor play area for our children, who engage with our volunteers in art projects, story time, and creative and constructive play. The outside play area has swings, a jungle gym, slides, water sprayers, and stationary play structures to create both entertainment and exploration for House of Hope’s kids.

In 2009, we opened the Hope to Opportunity (H20) shelter at 35 Varnum Avenue, renovating this charming 100-year-old building to provide comfortable living space and support services for seven homeless families. The carriage house of this beautiful building houses a lovely children’s playspace.

We opened our largest and newest shelter at 520 Fletcher Street in 2017. This spacious and beautifully renovated home—previously known affectionately as “the Old Ladies Home” run by Merrimack River Valley House—today provides shelter for 31 families, with the ability to serve larger families and those who use wheelchairs and mobility devices. There is also a spacious playground for the children.