Nashua

Nashua is New Hampshire's second-largest city, a former mill town along the Merrimack River that's grown into a mixed working-class and professional community with a downtown full of old brick buildings turned into apartments, shops, and offices. It has real resources if you know where to look, but it's also an expensive place to live now—median household income sits around $95,000, which tells you how far a fixed income or minimum wage can fall short here. Hillsborough County's point-in-time count identified roughly 200 individuals experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2023, and that number has been climbing along with rents. Front Door Agency runs a food pantry and housing assistance programs that many people rely on. Harbor Homes provides shelter, healthcare, and case management specifically for people who are homeless or at risk. The Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter has been a steady presence for decades, offering hot meals and a bed when things get hard. Winters here are unforgiving, so don't wait until you're desperate to ask these places for help—reach out early, and know that needing support doesn't make you any less capable or worthy of a good life.