In one corner of the room rests a collection of perfume bottles and jewelry, while on the opposite side is a towering stack of DVDs. The walls are covered with artwork and paintings, framing a neatly made bed with tightly tucked sheets.

This is Denise DeLew’s sanctuary, not in her own home but within a residence for those in recovery from mental health, where the space is thoughtfully organized, so much so that one would never guess it wasn’t her own.

She even has a small table by the bedside that holds tobacco leaves for her to roll her own cigarettes.

“I love it here! I don’t want to move,” said DeLew, her eyes scanning the room as she realized her dream of having the space tailored to her preferences. “This is easier for me than when I was living with my mother.”

She found this haven through Fellowship Housing Opportunities, a transitional housing program in Concord.

DeLew shares this group home with 12 people, all receiving round-the-clock support as they navigate the journey of recovery from mental illness. Having stepped down from inpatient psychiatric care, they are now working towards living independently.

The housing facility on Chesley Street where DeLew lives is the community residence with the highest level of care or attention under the Fellowship Housing Opportunities.

Spread across Concord, the organization oversees seven buildings, each tailored to cater to individuals with varying degrees of mental health needs, all backed by clinical support from Riverbend Community Mental Health.

“Our start was kind of a halfway house for individuals being discharged from the state hospital giving them a place to live rather than having them have to be on the streets,” said Herb Carpenter, executive director of Fellowship Housing Opportunities.

Now it has grown to an organization that provides housing for 63 individuals in the Concord area.

Interested in adding more housing, Carpenter said that he hasn’t been able to find the data to assess the need for various degrees of care.

Housing challenges in mental health care

Finding safe and affordable housing poses a challenge in New Hampshire.

But, according to Susan Stearns, executive director of the New Hampshire Alliance on Mental Health Illness, this struggle is even more pronounced for individuals transitioning from inpatient psychiatric facilities like the New Hampshire Hospital.

“I think people do wind up with extended stays at the New Hampshire Hospital, even though clinically in terms of their treatment they no longer need that level of care,” said Stearns, highlighting the impact of insufficient transitional housing options on individuals with mental health illness.

“That exacerbates the problem of emergency department boarding because there are beds being used by people who no longer need that level of care. So the system sort of backs up.”

According to data from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, 68 stable patients at New Hampshire Hospital have been waiting for discharge for over 15 days since May 1.

While there are many reasons for the hold-up, one significant factor is the lack of supportive housing in the state, as these individuals cannot live independently and need the intensive, coordinated services available in residential settings.

Supportive space

Transitioning from highly restrictive environments such as locked units in psychiatric hospitals like the New Hampshire Hospital to community living is crucial for individuals on their path to recovery.

Ed Austin, the program services director said that residents have spent years in such settings, but eventually, when they’re ready and feeling better, they move to unlocked environments like the community residence, where people can move around freely.

“Once they’re feeling good, they’ve been down the medications are doing well, then they come to a place like this where it’s unlocked,” said Austin, community residence manager. “People can come and go as they please.”

After putting her things in order, DeLew walked down the stairs from her room to hang around the other residents in the community space. When she saw Zackery Lawpau, who had been in the residence for six months, she started a conversation with him.

The overall ambiance fosters residents’ reintegration into the community.

“It’s motivational, it’s actually easy to be here,” said DeLew, who has been at the housing facility for a year.

Once you enter the building, there is a bulletin board that displays a timetable detailing chores, from meal preparation to dishwashing for the residents. Aside from their individual rooms, they have a common lounge to watch television, a game room and a dining area.

While the administration takes care of groceries, the New Hampshire food bank has also served as a lifeline for the community residence.

Occasionally, residents take charge of meal preparation.

On a Wednesday afternoon, the aroma of bacon wafted through the kitchen, after a resident had whipped up a delicious BLT sandwich for themselves.

Every night, the staff make a family-style meal, with sometimes help from the residents

“We don’t teach them but we coach them like if they need any help with making dinner,” said Ethan Harmon, the community residence manager, who spends much of his time at the building, considering it almost a second home.

On-site staff also provide therapeutic behavioral services and residents receive support with grocery shopping and transportation needs.

The program charges rent for individuals staying there, but Carpenter said that it is low-income housing.

Most of the rent is covered either by housing choice vouchers in some locations or through Housing and Urban Development subsidies, ensuring that every resident receives assistance in paying rent.

After a year and a half in the facility, making friends, working through her mental health recovery every day and transforming her room into a true home, DeLew wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I’m happy here. I think we are all in a really good place,” she said.