A legislative repeal and a donation from a private foundation have succeeded in keeping 16 transitional mental health beds in Concord that otherwise would have been relocated nearly 40 miles away.
The Philbrook Adult Transitional Housing facility, a state-owned step-down residence near New Hampshire Hospital, was set to be sold by June 30, 2027.
This legislative session, lawmakers repealed that directive. At the same time, the Burkehaven Family Foundation, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit, stepped in with a $3.75 million investment in New Hampshire’s mental health system, including $1 million earmarked for Philbrook’s programs and services.
Morissa Henn, deputy commissioner at the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, praised the public-private partnership for its flexibility and willingness to invest in solutions as the state learns what works.
She said Burkehaven Family Foundation has enabled the state to preserve and strengthen community-based capacity.
“This isn’t about philanthropy replacing government’s responsibility. The state remains responsible for building and sustaining a strong behavioral health system,” Henn said. “The opportunity here is to use private investment strategically to preserve critical capacity, demonstrate impact, and help us identify the approaches that can become sustainable in the long term.”
The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation has also contributed $200,000 to support North American Family Institute (NFI) North, which provides services at the Philbrook facility.
Under the biennial budget, the building housing the Philbrook facility, which NFI North leases from the state at no cost, would be sold and proceeds from that sale would be funnelled into the state’s general fund.
For Luke Reynard, executive director of NFI North, it’s been an eventful stretch.
The state’s plan changed from selling the facility to scrambling to find a new location for the Concord residents to eventually repealing that original directive altogether.
“We are very pleased with the connection to the Burkehaven Family Foundation,” Reynard said. “It’s such a good example of a public-private partnership where we get to work with DHHS and a private foundation to make sure the program is fully funded and can keep the 16 beds operational.”
Even before the tide turned in Philbrook’s favor, NFI North had already built a contingency plan, purchasing a new site in Newport to accommodate 16 beds for Concord residents.
With funding now secured through the foundation, the Newport site is expected to open by September, offering the same services as Philbrook and adding another 16 beds to the state’s transitional housing capacity.
Transitional beds play a crucial role in helping individuals reintegrate into the community after an involuntary emergency admission for a mental health crisis at the state psychiatric hospital.
Irfan Alibhai, president of the Burkehaven Family Foundation, said the decision to invest in New Hampshire’s mental health system, and in Philbrook specifically, was driven by need and by an assessment of where philanthropic dollars could make the greatest impact.
“Just knowing that if they were to close down those 16 beds, it’s a massive loss to the community. It’s not just a profound impact on those particular individuals that are there, but also just on the state in general,” Alibhai said. “We’re trying to make sure that this grant serves as a proof point, so the state is investing in long-term sustainability of mental health.”
As of July 12, 112 patients who are stable for discharge from New Hampshire Hospital remain there because there are not enough beds in facilities like Philbrook to serve as step-down housing before these patients reintegrate into society.
That means nearly two-thirds of the people in the hospital are occupying beds that could otherwise go to those with acute psychiatric needs.
Henn said having the 16 transitional beds on the state hospital campus in Concord is important because they allow patients to step down within a familiar space and still benefit from the support of New Hampshire Hospital’s clinical teams, who know them well and can respond if their acuity rises.
Despite the $51 million back-of-budget cuts DHHS is forced to make as part of the two-year budget, Philbrook’s funding was not affected, Reynard said.
Still, he said that continued state investment in mental health care matters for the long run.
“I think we need to indicate to the legislature that the short-sighted view isn’t leaving us money and it’s costing us,” he said. “What we should be doing is spending the money now, investing in our system now, and we’ll save 10 times that in the future by keeping people in the community, keeping people with families.”
