N.H. visitation sites struggling to stay open amid woes
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NASHUA - Two of the seven supervised visitation facilities that once served New Hampshire families have closed in the last year, and a third could follow soon.
Hundreds of families or estranged couples are ordered by family courts to participate in supervised visitation sessions or to exchange custody of children in a monitored setting. Facilities in Plymouth and Salem closed in January after federal funding was shifted to the centers in Concord, Manchester, and White River Junction, Vt., and officials in Nashua say they could be next.
That would leave dozens of families with few good options to abide by court orders, said the Nashua center's program coordinator, Ann-Louise Petrillo.
"I think it's going to be huge," she told the Telegraph. "Where are these families going to go? And the kids. What sort of situation are we putting them in."
The other three centers are in Concord, Manchester, and White River Junction, Vt., though the Manchester center only accepts cases that involve domestic violence. Petrillo said she worries some parents could resort to unsupervised interactions at home or in parking lots. Others may discontinue visits altogether, she said.
"There are many people who wouldn't see their kids if it wasn't here," she said.
The Nashua center used to be funded by a Safe Haven grant from the federal Justice Department, but in 2007, the money was shifted to the centers that saw the most clients. It costs about $85,000 to run the center annually, and for now, it's running on a $15,000 grant.
The financial struggle comes at a time when demand for the center's services is increasing. There is a waiting list, and Petrillo said she processes at least a dozen new applications a month.
