New Hampshire Offers Loan To Troubled Treatment Center

MANCHESTER, NH (AP) – New Hampshire’s Executive Council has approved an $180,000 emergency loan to one of the state’s largest drug treatment centers after it was put into receivership due to financial problems. The decision comes after a judge last week approved a takeover of Serenity Place in Manchester.

Authorities say the nonprofit organization, which provides residential and outpatient treatment to 3,000 clients per year, had been operating at a deficit of about $800,000 since July 1. The loan will be used to cover the costs of payroll and benefits for this month and next month.

The state is working with Families in Transition, which was appointed to take over Serenity Place, to ensure services aren’t interrupted. The attorney general’s office also is investigating what led to the financial failure.