The mission of Anne-Marie House (AMH) is to support the needs of families experiencing homelessness as they work to achieve sustainable income, housing and transportation. We do this by providing safe and secure transitional housing, wholesome meals, transportation, continuing education and other support services, such as parenting and financial literacy programs.

Anne-Marie House began in 2005 as a program of the Greater Nashua Interfaith Hospitality Network which was founded in 2004. The program began and continues to operate out of a 17,000 square foot former novitiate, which is leased from the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary in Hudson, NH at a greatly reduced rate. The facility has 26 bedrooms, a large kitchen, dining room, parlor, library, laundry room, family/play room, offices and conference rooms. Entering its sixth year of operation, AMH has grown to engage a network of more than 1,000 trained volunteers and a staff of two part-time and two full-time employees. With nearly 90 percent of our graduating families achieving sustainable housing, income and transportation, AMH is very successful in empowering families to get back on their feet and provide for themselves.

Anne-Marie House provides a unique service to an often underserved population in the homeless community – families. Believe it or not, keeping families together during a period of homelessness is often nearly impossible to do as family members are often asked to split up amongst available spots at homeless shelters, women-only programs, men-only programs, between other family members, etc. At AMH, we believe that keeping families together is of utmost importance in ensuring that our families achieve successful and sustainable lifestyles. We accept two-parent families, single mothers or fathers with children, grandparents raising grandchildren, etc. Children under the age of 18 represent approximately 60% of the residents at AMH; the current average age of all our children is 7 years old. And, while all combinations of families are accepted at AMH, single-mother households continue to be predominant.

All of our guests are referred to AMH through a network of social service providers. Guests entering the program must be clean and sober; have a source of income, seeking employment or involved in a job training program; and, sign a contract that will be renewed monthly based on compliance with house rules and progress toward individual goals. Each family at AMH works with our Family Support Coordinator to develop specific, comprehensive housing and financial plans within the first month of entering the program. These plans identify current and potential barriers to obtaining and maintaining stable housing, steps for overcoming these obstacles, and a timeline for eventually moving on from AMH. In addition, each family is required to attend classes on parenting and financial literacy.

While independently operated, Anne-Marie House is an affiliate of the national organization of Family Promise — a four-star rated Charity Navigator organization.