Martini Northern honored by Plan NH for Cross Roads House shelter

Martini Northern and Cross Roads House were honored by Plan NH with a merit award of excellence for the $4 million newly constructed homeless shelter. Plan NH cited the project for having brought together diverse people and organizations throughout the Seacoast in partnership from local fund-raising events to corporate donations and individual giving. Individuals and organizations helped on move-in day. Demolition of two older buildings on the extremely compact site began in the winter of 2009 with blasting and site work completed by spring. The project consolidated three old buildings into one larger structure that provides emergency family housing, along with a new dining hall, kitchen, laundry, offices, classroom and counseling space. One remaining building will be renovated, and the shelter remained open during construction. The new facility has slightly fewer beds, and reflects a greater emphasis on the transitional program, which has the greatest success in helping people move back to permanent housing. The new construction also includes mandated health and safety improvements, improved security measures and spaces better suited for separating the various groups of people — single men and women and families. The new 21,256 s/f facility includes a full basement and two floors above ground with clerestory windows, flat rubber roof, forced hot air heating, radiant floor heating, solar hot water heating, and a future natural gas-powered emergency generator set-up. The basement houses mechanical and electrical rooms, laundry, commercial kitchen and dining room. The first floor includes the lobby, casework room, resource room, offices, emergency quarters for men and families, family kitchen, children's play areas indoors and out. The second floor features emergency quarters for women, men and women's transitional rooms, casework rooms and facility offices.