Kate is unhoused and needs our help!

Kate West is a single mother, musician, and advocate in Concord, New Hampshire. She has long supported the local music scene, is a member of Change for Concord, and has acted as an advocate for things like the Housing First initiative. She was elected as a member of the Concord School Board in 2020 and worked full-time for a prototype manufacturing company for years. She is the lead singer and a guitarist in an all-female band, Girlspit.

In August 2022, Kate was forced to seek alternate housing after her landlord decided not to renew the lease for her apartment. As a member of the Concord School Board, she wanted to stay in a certain section of the city, but quickly realized her options were slim to none. She was unsuccessful in finding affordable housing and has been unhoused since September 9th. During this time, she has gratefully been staying with local friends and advocates.

After this stressful event, Kate’s mental health declined and she was unable to access the resources and treatment she needed for months. This greatly impacted her ability to be effective at her workplace and she was ultimately let go from her job. She was also removed from her seat on the Concord School Board for living outside of the zone she was elected to represent, while the reality is that she is not a permanent resident of any zone.

Kate’s car is currently uninspected and unregistered and also needs work to get back on the road. This prevents her from searching for jobs outside of walking distance and makes it difficult to get to other places she might need or want to get to, like appointments or band practice. Her storage unit, which contains almost all of the contents of her previous two-bedroom apartment, has been at risk of getting auctioned off multiple times.

I, Casey Bernard, have known Kate for over 15 years and can confidently say that she always fights for her community, her friends, and what she believes is right, which is often the rights of others.

I’m asking for your assistance to get Kate and her 10-year-old child back on their feet and hope you’ll consider helping during their unfathomably difficult time.

*More information about Kate's situation can be found in this Concord Monitor article from January.*