LEBANON, N.H. (WCAX) – The city of Lebanon is seeing far fewer police and EMS calls at its emergency homeless shelter this winter.
The facility, staffed by The Haven, has housed just under 50 people this winter on a first-come, first-served basis. A key change this year: guests no longer line up at the shelter to get in. They instead reserve a bed at the nearby TLC Recovery Center.
Last winter, first responders were called to the facility dozens of times, including for an assault in the parking lot. This winter, there have been just three calls for service.
“We heard the community concerns last year. We took those seriously, and we addressed those with the staff at the Haven together in these pre-meetings to the 2026 season. And we are almost through the season with almost no issues at all,” said Lebanon Police Chief Phil Roberts.
Lebanon’s Human Services Director also issued a statement, saying in part: “This system for cot sign-up has worked extremely well this winter, and shelter guests have a warm and welcoming place to be until shelter doors open. We’re thankful to TLC Recovery Programs for partnering with the City and the Haven.”
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