NASHUA – City officials are actively preparing to keep Nashua safe during the cold winter months.

During extremely cold weather, residents should practice cold weather safety by limiting time outdoors and dressing in layers if they need to go outside, watching for signs of hypothermia and remembering to bring pets indoors.

Resources continue to be in place for anyone experiencing homelessness. The following organizations are resources for people to reach out to if they are experiencing homelessness and would like to receive assistance:

-Crisis Assessment & Referral – 1-844-800-9911: Monday – Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

-211 NH Homeless Resources Hotline

-Nashua City Welfare – 603-589-4555: Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m.

Healthcare and Mental Health Services for Persons Experiencing Homelessness.

-Greater Nashua Mental Health – 603-889-6147

-Harbor Care – 603-882-3616

The following locations are open for warming and sheltering:

-Saint Patrick’s Church Day Café, 29 Spring St.: Monday – Friday, 7 to 9:30 a.m.

-Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter – 603-889-7770: Current hours Monday – Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Friday breakfast is 7:30 – 8:30 a.m., dinner is 4 – 6 p.m., Monday – Saturday, and lunch on Sunday is from noon to 1:30 p.m. NSKS has opened a winter overflow shelter, check in is at 2 Quincy St..

-Southern New Hampshire Rescue Mission: Single male shelter at 40 Chestnut St. Single female shelter at 36 Tolles St. Meals are served at 40 Chestnut St. Breakfast Monday – Friday at 7 a.m., Saturday – Sunday at 8 a.m.; lunch Monday, Wednesday – Friday at noon; dinner Saturday – Sunday at 5 p.m.

-Nashua Public Library, 2 Court St.: open Monday – Thursday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. closed Friday, open Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

-HEARTS Peer Support, 5 Pine St. Ext. – 603-882-8400: Monday – Thursday 8 a.m to 5 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

-Stepping Stones Youth Drop-in Center, 3 Pine St. Ext. – 603-787-3016: Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

-Pheasant Lane Mall, 310 Daniel Webster Hwy: Monday – Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday – Saturday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

-New Fellowship Baptist Church, 50 Ash St., Open Monday – Saturday 9:30 a.m. – noon and 1-5 p.m. when the temperature is below 40 degrees.

Additional Resources for Fuel Assistance

For fuel assistance, visit Southern New Hampshire Services to apply for their Fuel Assistance Program.

If your rental space’s heat is not working, first contact your landlord(s) to resolve the issue. If the heat does not get fixed after filing a report with your landlord(s), contact Code Enforcement. All households are required to have working heat during the winter months.

Alternate Heat Source Safety

City officials urge residents to be vigilant when using alternative heating methods by following these simple safety tips to keep you and your loved ones safe and warm:

-Wood stoves, the most popular category of wood-burning heaters, cause thousands of residential fires each year. Be sure to:

-Keep the area around fireplaces and woodstoves clean and free of debris, decorations, and flammable materials.

-Always use a metal or heat-tempered glass screen with fireplaces.

-Install spark screens and caps on chimneys.

-Install stovepipe thermometers to monitor flue temperatures.

-Keep air inlets open on woodstoves and fireplaces. If closed, inlets cause creosote buildup and lead to chimney fires.

-Install wood-burning stoves following manufacturer’s instructions or have a professional do the installation.

-Keep fireplaces and woodstoves clean. Have a certified chimney specialist clean annually.

-Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, e.g., the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater. More than half of all home heating fire deaths is the result of combustibles too close to the heat source.

Safely Burn Fuels

-Never use flammable liquids to start a fire.

-Use only seasoned wood. Certain types of wood, like soft moist wood, increases creosote buildup. Build small fires that burn completely and produce less smoke. Never leave a fire unattended in a fireplace. Extinguish fire before leaving the house or going to bed.

When removing fireplace ashes precautions should be taken to prevent fires or injuries:

-Wear heavy leather gloves when cleaning embers and ashes out of your fireplace or wood burning stove to protect your hands from any hot embers.

-Do not place a wood stove or fireplace ashes in paper bags or any other combustible container.

-Dispose of embers and ashes in a metal container with a lid. (Remember, ashes can remain hot for several days so they should be stored on a noncombustible surface or spread out on the ground at least 10 feet away from your home and any nearby building or combustible material.)

Portable or Space Heaters

Space heaters account for two of every five home heating fires, in which the majority of those deaths and injuries were caused by heating equipment. Failure to clean the equipment was the leading contributing factor of home fires that involved heating equipment.

Electric Space Heaters

-Buy only heaters with Underwriter’s Laboratory safety listing.

-Be sure it has a thermostat control mechanism and automatically switches off if tipped over.

-Always unplug when leaving the room or going to bed.

-Avoid using extension cords.

-Never use frayed or damaged cords.

-Whether you’re using a stationary or portable heating appliance:

-Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.

-Never use your oven to heat your home.

-Remember to turn portable heaters off, unplug when leaving the room or going to bed.

Newsletter