Senator Sylvia Larsen to receive the 6th Annual Award to End Homelessness on Thursday, June 12, 2008, First Lady Dr. Susan Lynch to Present

Manchester, NH -- Families in Transition (FIT), a nonprofit agency that provides affordable housing and services for homeless individuals and families in New Hampshire will be presenting Senator Sylvia Larsen with the 6th Annual Award to End Homelessness at its Annual Meeting on June 12 at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester from 4:00 – 6:00pm.

“The world would be a very different place if each of us championed one cause in the way that Senator Larsen has championed Families in Transition,” said Maureen Beauregard, President of Families in Transition. “The 35 families, 13 single women and 49 children who have been served since Families in Transition came to Concord in January of 2004 reflect the program’s success.” 

“As one of six female Senate Presidents in the nation, Sylvia Larsen has broken the glass ceiling but continues to hear the voices of those with shattered lives.  She uses her time and talent to provide solutions for the needs of our community,” said Roberta Tenney, who nominated her.

First Lady Dr. Susan Lynch will present Senator Larsen with the award. The NH Award to End Homelessness is based on the belief that having a safe place to live is a basic human right. The recipient of this award is honored for their compassion, dedication and willingness to help individuals and families overcome the challenges brought on by homelessness. 

At a time when the Concord community had no programs available to assist a homeless, 18-year-old mother of two, Senator Larsen made it a point to help the young mother. But she also recognized that the problem needed a systemic solution.  

Larsen knew about Families in Transition in Manchester, a program that had an 80 percent success rate in lifting women out of homelessness and providing them with marketable skills. Larsen formed an advisory committee, served as it chairwoman and brought Families in Transition to Concord in 2004.  

“Senator Larsen smoothed the introduction of FIT into Concord by becoming its highly visible and articulate spokeswoman, educating the community on how Families in Transition supported families,” Tenney said.    

About Families in Transition
A 501 (c)(3) non-profit agency with locations in Manchester and Concord, New Hampshire. Families in Transition (FIT) provides safe and affordable housing and social services to homeless individuals with or without children.  FIT began as a program of the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund in 1991 with one apartment building and the capacity to provide transitional housing and supportive services to five women and their children.  Since being incorporated into a non-profit agency in 1995, FIT has grown from administering one small Transitional Housing Program to currently administering five Transitional Housing Programs, two Permanent Supportive Housing Programs, a Community Program, an Employment and Training Program and a Children’s Program.  In addition, FIT owns and operates the Family Outfitters Thrift Store, a social entrepreneurial business venture which not only serves as an alternative revenue stream for the agency, but also enhances the services provided to FIT participants by providing meaningful employment and training opportunities for program participants and graduates.  In 2007, FIT assisted more than 250 individuals and almost 140 children, and provided more than 5,000 referrals.  For more information on Families in Transition, please visit www.fitnh.org or call 603-641-9441.