By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org

FRANKLIN – Considered the first of its kind in the nation to help veterans and first responders in need, Gov. Kelly Ayotte and the state’s five-member Executive Council had breakfast Wednesday at the recently opened Easter Seals NH Military & Veterans Campus at the former Daniel Webster homestead off Route 3.

The campus is already filled to capacity and has a waiting list of veterans, many of whom were homeless, couch surfing or staying with relatives and friends, said Allen Aldenberg, chief military and veterans services officer for Easter Seals NH & VT.

They toured some of the buildings that have been renovated after a presentation by Aldenberg and Maureen Beauregard, president and chief executive officer of Easter Seals NH & VT.

The council last came for breakfast here in April, 2022 to hear conceptual plans after it approved $23 million in federal, post-COVID-19 American Rescue Plan Act funding.

The 15 acres on the former Daniel Webster homestead was where famous statesman and orator Daniel Webster cared for his family’s sheep allowing him enough money to get his education at Dartmouth College.

The property later became an orphanage and was then vacant for years. Under threat of development, Alex Ray, founder of the Common Man Family of Restaurants created a substance abuse rehabilitation center there and then handed it over to Easter Seals which operated it in that manner for a few years.

The property’s buildings had been protected from the elements with new roofs but needed substantial rehabilitation when Easter Seals came in.

The plan was to develop it in phases with site amenities to eventually include a pool for sports, an amphitheater, basketball court, archery range, fire pit, climbing wall, equine therapy in a barn, pet therapy in a kennel, and access to the Northern Rail Trail, which goes through the property.

Importantly for this group of individuals who have served the country, the campus has services for behavioral health services, mental health, and substance misuse treatment.

Aldenberg said retreats will be welcome and there is a cafe and conference space.

He said there are now 29 apartments which are fully occupied. He said the wait list for those spaces is about 20 to 25 which varies daily.

“So that tells all of us the need for permanent housing for veterans is there in the state,” he said.

The youngest veteran living there now is in his early 30s and the oldest is 81 touching every conflict back to Vietnam to the present, Aldenberg said.

He said the place is changing lives, noting one veteran’s former living situation did not allow him to visit with his son. “He now has a space when his son comes…that’s life changing. That has put that veteran on a path…to being a much better dad,” Aldenberg said.

Beauregard said philanthropy from individuals and groups has been tremendous and will help in phase two. Fundraising is still ongoing but there will be a focus on wellness for residents with PTSD, depression and or substance abuse issues.

An outdoor challenge course is going up this coming week. An empowerment center is being created. An indoor pool is planned. All facilities will be fully accessible, she said.

“We have the capacity to do more housing. We bought a little land next door in the hopes we could do that. We want to whittle down that waiting list,” she said.


For more information visit https://eastersealsnh.org/programs/military-veterans-campus/