Katie Paciulan, Harbor Care's director of Veteran Services, was recently honored by Gov. Kelly Ayotte for her leadership efforts to end veteran homelessness in New Hampshire. Courtesy photo/Harbor Care

CONCORD — Henry Och, president and CEO of Harbor Care, and Katie Paciulan, the organization’s director of Veteran Services, were recently honored by Gov. Kelly Ayotte with a Recognition for Excellence in Service to New Hampshire Veterans.

Nominated by the state Veterans Council, Och and Paciulan received the commendation for leading Harbor Care’s ongoing efforts to end veteran homelessness across the Granite State, specifically in Manchester.

“We’ve made real progress, but the work is not finished,” said Och. “Our goal is to build a system where veteran homelessness is rare, brief and nonrecurring. That outcome only happens when communities, government agencies and nonprofit partners work together with urgency and shared purpose.”

Since September 2024, Och and Paciulan have partnered with Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais to assist homeless veterans in the Queen City. Forty-seven veterans were identified as being unhoused when the housing effort began.

During the past 18 months, Harbor Care has provided housing to all 47 veterans as well as another 37 for a total of 84 veterans. This achievement means that Manchester has reached three of the four standards used by the federal government to measure progress in the push to ensure that all veterans have a place to live.

Henry Och, president and CEO of Harbor Care, was recently honored by Gov. Kelly Ayotte for his leadership efforts to end veteran homelessness in New Hampshire. Courtesy photo/Harbor Care

Harbor Care was instrumental in achieving a similar milestone in March 2017 when veteran homelessness was “effectively ended” in Nashua. Although veterans may still become homeless, the city has services in place to provide immediate assistance.

Since the federal initiative to end veteran homelessness was launched 16 years ago, the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs reported that the number of unhoused veterans has fallen by 47 percent nationwide. That figure includes a 17 percent decline between January 2015 and January 2016.