NEC Trustee and Alumnus Brings New Emergency Shelter On Line
Lex Scourby, NEC trustee and alumnus, has helped bring a new emergency shelter on line. Founded in 1982, Cross Roads House in Portsmouth, New Hampshire is the largest emergency and transitional shelter serving New Hampshire and southern Maine. With a capacity of 88 people, Cross Roads House provides food, shelter, and programming every day of the year.
On Wednesday, November 18, a new Cross Roads House was unveiled, one that will offer larger, more private, and more comfortable accommodations for residents. This $4 million dollar project was nearly a year in the making.
Lex Scourby, New England College Class of 1975 and Secretary to the NEC Board of Trustees, is President of the Board of Cross Roads House. Lex and another member of the Cross Roads board are credited with making the project happen and with being the driving force behind it.
The 21,000 square foot facility features emergency shelter for both men and women and transitional housing for families. A new kitchen and dining area, that formerly served only a fraction of the facility’s residents, is now able to match the capacity of the shelter. Not only is the facility handicap accessible, but includes many energy efficient features including radiant floor heating, plenty of natural light, and enough solar panels to heat water for laundry and bathing.
The total project includes two phases. With the new building complete, the old facility will be torn down to make way for additional parking. The building that formerly provided housing for families will be renovated during the second phase of the project.
To read the entire Portsmouth Herald article (printed November 19, 
2009), click the picture:
