Shaheen Announces $2.2 Million for Community Health Projects

(Washington, DC) - U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced that the Department of Health and Human Services will award over $2.2 million in federal grants to improve access to community health and support services in New Hampshire. This funding includes a $1 million grant for One Sky Community Services, a statewide network of support for individuals diagnosed with developmental disabilities or acquired brain disorders. The funding comes through a congressionally directed spending (CDS) request that Shaheen secured through the fiscal year (FY) 2022 omnibus package that passed earlier this year. 

“I’m excited to share that more than $2.2 million in federal grants are coming to our state to improve access to health care services for New Hampshire families. I’m especially thrilled to see the $1 million grant come through, which I secured for One Sky Community Services to help hundreds of individuals living with developmental disabilities or acquired brain disorders,” said Senator Shaheen. “As a senior appropriator, I’ll always fight to ensure New Hampshire gets the federal funds it needs to support robust public health infrastructure for Granite State communities.”  

“Housing for individuals diagnosed with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities is at a critical state in NH, forcing residents to live out of state to receive the care they need,” said Matthew Cordaro, CEO of One Sky Community Services, Inc. “The million dollars in funding that Senator Jeanne Shaheen has secured for our most vulnerable residents is an investment into our community that will reunite some of our NH families with their loved ones and provide ongoing well-paying care and support careers.” 

The Department of Health and Human Services has recently announced four Shaheen-led community health projects, including: 

• $1 million for One Sky Community Services, one of New Hampshire’s 10 Area Agencies for those with developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injuries, to construct a residential facility with 24/7 care for six individuals with developmental disabilities in Northwood.  

• $750,000 for the YWCA of New Hampshire to enhance its innovative Adverse Child Experiences Response Team (ACERT), which uses a multidisciplinary approach to meet the immediate needs of children and families exposed to trauma. The proposed project would expand ACERT into ten additional New Hampshire communities, broaden services to include more culturally responsive offerings and streamline training for all ACERT partners to include diversity, equity and inclusion topic areas. Shaheen leads legislation in the U.S. Senate that would launch nationwide ACERT programs, which are piloted in New Hampshire. 

• $350,000 for the TLC Family Resource Center to expand their current services around Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) to better integrate family strengthening and peer recovery strategies that address the impact of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) on child outcomes. The residents to be served by this project include children, youth and families living in Sullivan County and the surrounding region.  

• $120,000 for National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) New Hampshire to support families and caregivers raising children, youth and young adults with Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED) as they engage in transformational systems change; enhance their leadership skills and knowledge; connect with other families to reduce feelings of isolation; and have access to promising family and caregiver peer delivered practices, including an established and sustainable Family Peer Support program. 

As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Shaheen helped secure $69,047,000 for projects across New Hampshire through the CDS process in FY22 legislation that was signed into law. Shaheen recently announced more than $89 million in CDS awards that she secured in Senate Democrats’ FY23 government funding proposal for 95 New Hampshire projects, including water infrastructure, health care facility investments, educational training, resources to combat homelessness and food insecurity, support for substance use disorder programs and much more. 

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