Will Arvelo leaving Cross Roads House: 'A fitting capstone' to a career in public service

PORTSMOUTH — Will Arvelo, the executive director of Cross Roads House , is stepping down from the role in the coming months.

The former president of Great Bay Community College, Arvelo has worked as the agency’s leader since September 2021 after being hired to replace former executive director Martha Stone, a longtime staffer-turned-director of the Lafayette Road facility that serves the region's unhoused population.

The board of directors for Cross Roads House announced Arvelo’s decision on Thursday afternoon. Members of the board have taken the initial steps to begin a search process to find Arvelo’s successor.

Arvelo will stay on until his replacement has been hired to ensure a smooth transition of leadership.

“Cross Roads House is in an excellent position right now,” Arvelo said in a statement. “Our finances are healthy, and we are recognized as the premier shelter organization in the state. We have a talented and committed team of directors, managers, case management professionals, and direct care staff - reflecting significant investments in our staff in the past few years - along with a highly supportive board of directors and an amazing donor base of committed long-term financial supporters.”

“It has been one of the privileges of my life to work for Cross Roads House,” Arvelo’s statement added. “I am grateful to have had the opportunity to advocate on behalf of those unhoused and to have had a hand in helping our residents succeed on their journey to permanent housing and rejoining their communities. My life’s work has always been about creating healthy individuals and communities and connecting the two for mutual benefit. I am proud of the work I have done at (Cross Roads House) as Executive Director, and I consider it a fitting capstone to my 40-year career of public service.”

The start of Arvelo’s tenure coincided with Cross Roads House’s 40th anniversary in 2022. Under his watch, the facility opened the official winter emergency overnight winter warming center for Rockingham County on site in Portsmouth.

Last fall, Arvelo staged a daily vigil in downtown Portsmouth to spread awareness about homelessness in the region and seek support for the underserved.

Chuck Silva, president of the board of director for Cross Roads House, praised Arvelo for working hard to “broaden and deepen relationships with municipal and state agencies, elected officials, and our partner organizations in the Seacoast.”

“Will’s tireless advocacy for (Cross Roads House), our residents, and the unhoused population that we serve has benefited this organization enormously,” Silva said in a prepared statement. “His passion for doing whatever he can to improve the welfare of the Seacoast’s unhoused population and educate state and local officials and the community about CRH and its mission is evident to anyone who has ever spent time with him. We have benefited greatly from his leadership.”

Retirement from Cross Roads House in the coming months is the plan for Arvelo. In an interview Thursday, however, he stated that he will search for other professional opportunities after taking time to spend time with family, travel and volunteer, in addition to writing.

“My heart has always been in building community and working with vulnerable populations,” he said Thursday after the board of directors’ announcement. “I have a particular interest in working with folks that are struggling with poverty and the unfairness of our economy to vulnerable populations.”

“I’m sure there will probably be some other organizations that come knocking on my door,” he added. “I have a strong skill set in fundraising and I want to use that to help other organizations.”

Arvelo was at the helm of Great Bay Community College from 2007 until 2017. He later served as the director of the Division of Economic Development for the state of New Hampshire prior to being hired at Cross Roads House, and has worked as an advocate for Black and Indigenous people of color throughout the state.

A search committee has been formed to determine the organization’s next executive director, per the board of directors’ announcement.

Cross Roads House publishes statistics daily on the number of people seeking shelter and assistance. On Wednesday night, Cross Roads House sheltered 83 people total, including nine families and 17 children, according to the nonprofit.

The organization opened its Lafayette Road building in 2009.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Will Arvelo leaving Cross Roads House: 'A fitting capstone' to a career in public service