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Finding Joy and Support Through Easterseals NH’s Shared Living Residential Services

Photo of Alice and Tina.

Easterseals New Hampshire’s Shared Living Residential Services connect individuals who have intellectual disabilities and acquired brain injuries with caring providers who welcome them into their homes and lives. This program offers a meaningful alternative to traditional residential care by creating family-like environments where providers and participants develop strong, supportive relationships.

What is Shared Living?

Our Shared Living Residential Services offer enhanced family care to individuals who might otherwise be without a home. We recruit members of the community—ranging from individuals to couples and families—who create a supportive, family-like environment similar to an adult foster care model. Providers assist with daily tasks like meal preparation, medication management, and coordinating medical appointments, all tailored to each person’s unique needs.

Support for Providers

Easterseals NH is committed to the success of its Shared Living providers. Each provider is a contracted professional who receives round-the-clock support from a dedicated team of program managers, nurses, and clinicians. This team offers guidance, training, and resources to help providers balance caregiving responsibilities with their own personal lives. This model emphasizes the importance of a good match between the provider’s lifestyle and the individual’s needs and preferences to ensure a harmonious and lasting living situation.

Discovering Fulfillment

As a Shared Living provider in Manchester through Easterseals NH for more than 20 years, Alice has experienced its profound impacts—not just on Tina, the individual she supports, but on her entire family. “Tina has come a long way,” Alice says. “It’s been quite a journey, but it’s worth it when you see the change—to see the growth in someone when they are given chances.”


Learn More and Get Involved

Shared Living providers are supported every step of the way, ensuring a rewarding experience for both them and their individuals. Providers are compensated with a daily rate for their services and are entitled to 30 days of respite leave per year, giving them time to recharge and maintain their autonomy and well-being.

To learn more about the program, visit eastersealsnh.org/programs/community-based-services/shared-living or send an email to [email protected].

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