Nashua organization that serves homeless youth suddenly shuts down

A Nashua nonprofit organization that offers resources to homeless youth has abruptly closed its two facilities, leaving residents with just weeks to find new homes.Residents said it was a sudden shock to learn that Stepping Stones and its independent living facility would be closing. They said they were given until May 1 to figure out what to do."I'd be dead without this place, so I have no idea what I'm going to do," said Stepping Stones resident Maddi Perry.Perry said she has been a resident at Stepping Stones independent living program for the past nine months. The organization has two facilities for youth aged 12 to 25 who are experiencing homelessness.>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play <<One is a center that offers a shower, a kitchen and a safe place for the youth to gather. The other facility is a full-time residence program that helps young people up to the age of 25 learn the skills needed to live independently.It closed unexpectedly Tuesday."We are all left in the dust," Perry said. "We don't know what's going on."City officials said they're aware of the problem and are trying to work with the one staff member left and other nonprofit organizations in Nashua to find new housing solutions for the residents."There's not a lot of options for homeless people or youth homeless or queer youth homeless," Perry said. Perry said Stepping Stones has become a community, and the residents are rallying together to figure out what's next."Something better than a shelter," she said.She said she hopes the city and nonprofit partners can come together to find a solution within the next three weeks, so the young people who were helped by Stepping Stones don't find themselves without a home again."Ignorance might be bliss for you, but it's not bliss for us," Perry said.