Who We Are
A New Era of Impact: Introducing Mainspring
At the heart Fair Tide’s mission has always been a deep commitment to creating meaningful, lasting change in the lives of individuals and families facing hardship. Today, we’re proud to usher in a new era of service and collaboration with the launch of Mainspring — a visionary approach to community support that transforms how help is delivered, experienced, and sustained. Fair Tide is a co-founder and primary tenant of Mainspring.
Mainspring is more than a name: it is a collective, a hub, and a new way forward. Designed as a collaborative social service center, it brings together a network of nonprofit partners under one roof — eliminating barriers, streamlining access, and empowering people to connect with comprehensive support from a single starting point.
By uniting diverse programs and services — from food access at Footprints, to career services, health resources, and recovery support — Mainspring simplifies the journey toward stability and success. Centralized intake, shared care planning, and coordinated referral systems mean that individuals no longer navigate silos — instead, they find a welcoming space where care is connected, compassionate, and effective.
This new chapter honors our roots while amplifying our impact:
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One starting point, multiple supports — a streamlined pathway for people to access vital resources.
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Collaborative care that works together — maximizing the strengths of each partner for greater collective impact.
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A place of dignity and empowerment — where everyone who walks through our doors feels seen, supported, and capable of thriving.
As we embrace this new chapter as part of Mainspring, our vision remains clear: to build a stronger, more resilient community where every person has the opportunity to thrive. Join us as we step forward — together — into this exciting and transformative era of service.
History
In 1998, as housing costs in the Seacoast rose a small, committed group of local citizens were concerned for their neighbors, family, and friends who were homeless or were at risk of becoming homeless. They established Fair Tide as a way to help. They fundraised, advocated, and acted and in 2003 they opened the doors to a newly renovated five-unit home in the Kittery Foreside and the Fair Tide two-year Transitional Housing Program was born. In concert with the home, the Fair Tide Thrift Store came to fruition as a fundraising mechanism for the program, as well as a resource to the residents and the greater Seacoast community.
Fair Tide served more than 100 individuals through the Transitional Housing Program providing not only a safe, warm place to call home but also working together with the residents to offer case management, guidance, and support. We moved more than 80% of the residents into long-term housing.
In 2018 in light of economical and political changes, as well as shifts in trends and evidence-based practices in the field of housing, Fair Tide re-evaluated the transitional housing model. We realized that in order to best provide the long-term stability necessary for success we needed to provide permanent housing coupled with ongoing, targeted case management support. That year, we adopted the national best-practice of Housing First and have operated our Housing Programs using that approach since. In 2019 we launched our Landlord Engagement Initiative and began conversations with several social service agencies in the community how best to meet the needs of our neighbors – the result was the vision of Mainspring.
Fair Tide has a growing portfolio of Affordable Housing Developments, learn more about these efforts here.
Staff
Emily Flinkstrom
Executive Director
Emily has spent her career working with and for vulnerable populations and strongly believes that we have a responsibility to help our neighbors in need. I am honored to work for a true grassroots organization that benefits from the support of the local community. The joy of my job is witnessing the life changing effects that stable housing and wraparound supports have on our residents.
Phone: (207) 439-6376 ext. 1
Email: executivedirector@fairtide.org
Kerry Brent
Case Manager
Kerry Brent, Fair Tide’s case manager, works with residents to identify obstacles to permanent housing and to create a plan to overcome them. She brings almost 20 years of experience working in the social service sector supporting individuals struggling with mental health issues. I strive to promote and achieve a better quality of life for our residents. My hope is that I am seen as a source of support on their journey for years to come.
Phone: (207) 439-6376 ext. 2
Email: socialworker@fairtide.org
Melissa Schott
Case Manager
Melissa Schott, Fair Tide’s second case manager, works with residents to identify obstacles to permanent housing and to create a plan to overcome them. Melissa has happily called the Seacoast her home for the past 20 years while she raised her family and earned a Masters Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She has worked in the non-profit sector for over a decade. Melissa felt called to the work of Fair Tide because of the critical role housing plays in a person’s overall psychological well-being. No one is able to make it through this world alone. I feel so fortunate to help my neighbors find safe and healthy homes.
Phone: (207) 439-6376 ext. 2
Email: melissa@fairtide.org
Barbara McGaughey
Director of Social Entrepreneurship
Having worked retail for more than 17 years, most of them spent at Kittery Trading Post, Barb expressed excitement at the opportunity to work for Fair Tide. It is heartwarming to work in the nonprofit world where less is actually more, she said. As for her vision for Fair Tide, she said she wants everyone to become a thrift store shopper. I want Fair Tide to be the model for all thrift stores with a strong community based mission.
Phone: (207) 439-2427
Email: thriftstore@fairtide.org
Hershey Hirschkop
Director of Housing
Hershey served on Fair Tide’s Board of Directors for about five years before joining the team in September, 2023, as our new Director of Housing. Hershey’s background is focused on affordable housing development, with an emphasis on supportive housing. She spent many years in San Francisco developing supportive housing before working with The Housing Partnership in Portsmouth, NH, and was most recently Executive Director of Seacoast Outright. There is a deep need for permanent, supportive housing here, and we’re going to see that need increase as the housing crisis continues. Fair Tide is exactly the right organization with the expertise to get this housing built and ensure our tenants are successful!
Phone: (207) 439-6376
Email: hershey@fairtide.org
Pam Smith
Bookkeeper
Pam started as Fair Tide’s Bookkeeper in 2017 and has lived in the area her whole life. She is graduate of Portsmouth High School and has her Associates Degree in Accounting frm McIntosh College. Pam and her husband Ray have three children and three grandchildren and enjoy traveling, camping, and snowmobiling.
Phone: (207) 439-6376
Email: bookkeeper@fairtide.org
Board of Directors
Ali Goodwin, Chair
Lead Real Estate Agent, Haven Homes & Lifestyle at Keller Williams Coastal and Lakes & Mountains Realty
Ryan Pope, Vice Chair
Housing Navigator, City of Dover
Steven Epstein, Treasurer
Finance, Banking and Non-Profit Professional, Retired
George Dow, Secretary
Vice President, TD Bank
Aaron Awbrey
Senior Commercial Lending Officer, Kennebunk Savings Bank
Bill Dignan
Real Estate Professional, Williams Realty Partners
Tom Emerson
Principal, StudioB-E Architecture
Dale Keller
Lived Experience of Homelessness
Join Our Board of Directors
Our Board of Directors is a vital part of our organization – helping guide us, our work, and our fiscal responsibility to deliver the most impact we can. We are always interested in having others join our dynamic board. Please fill out our application to be considered for a position on our board!