New plan set to keep MCVP services in place under Claremont nonprofit

The shift comes after months of turmoil inside MCVP, which has operated from Court Street in Keene since the 1970s.

The Monadnock Center for Violence Prevention will be taken under the wing of The Center for Safer Communities, a Claremont-based nonprofit that says it intends to preserve local support while adding new leadership and oversight.

Pascale Graham, executive director of The Center for Safer Communities, said the goal is to steady MCVP’s work and eventually build it out further across Southwestern New Hampshire. She said emergency assistance should continue without interruption, that some of MCVP’s direct service staff are expected to remain on, and that additional hiring is planned for the Monadnock Region. Graham and the group’s assistant director will also keep a presence in the area. The Keene shelter, which she said has been operating with limited capacity, will remain part of the service network.

The shift comes after months of turmoil inside MCVP, which has operated from Court Street in Keene since the 1970s. In March, the entire board of directors stepped down, according to court filings cited by the N.H. Charitable Trusts Unit. The agency then sought a court-appointed receiver in April, arguing that MCVP no longer had the governance or management needed to meet obligations tied to its funding. A judge approved that request the same month.

MCVP had 11 employees as of April, serving survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in Cheshire County and western Hillsborough County. Court records showed the board was missing a treasurer, as required by its bylaws, and had dwindled to six members, with only three serving for more than six months. The organization was also on its third executive director since 2024, with Michelle Trombley holding the post at the time of the lawsuit.

According to the filings, communication between leadership and the board deteriorated sharply, and disputes over personnel and professional concerns deepened the breakdown. After a March meeting with Trombley, all board members resigned, though some were later urged to remain temporarily so fiduciary duties could still be met.

The Charitable Trusts Unit said the organization had enough money to remain afloat, but not the management structure needed to comply with reporting requirements tied to major grants, including funds from the N.H. Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. MCVP and The Center for Safer Communities are both members of that coalition and provide free support for people dealing with domestic violence, sexual violence, and stalking, including shelter, safety planning, case management, court help, outreach, education, and crisis assistance around the clock.

In his July report, receiver Joshua Sattely said the nonprofit faced serious operational problems, including missing financial policies, no single audit, gaps in programming, confidentiality lapses, weak staff training, understaffing, and strained ties with the community. He told the court that shutting the agency down would be a last resort and said the region would suffer if services ended.

About a week after the receivership order, MCVP named Hunter Kirschner interim executive director to replace Trombley. Attempts to reach Trombley, former board members, and MCVP management Wednesday were unsuccessful or redirected to Sattely.

Sattely said in his filing that the services offered by MCVP are too important to lose. The new arrangement, according to the Claremont nonprofit, is meant to give the organization a chance to stabilize, maintain its local role, and invite renewed support from current and former backers.