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HUD Secretary Julian Castro, Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy and other Dignitaries Celebrate Grand Opening of Milestone Supportive Housing Project
The Connection will provide case management services to residents in need at Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust's newest affordable housing development
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Cutting the Ribbon. Front row, from left: Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust Board Vice President Kim Bianca Williams, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, State Representative Jim Hines, U.S. Senator Dick Blumenthal, HUD Secretary Julian Castro, Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust Executive Director Liz Torres, Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim, and Department of Housing Commissioner Yvonne Klein.
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On Friday, January 15,
Federal, state, and local officials gathered at 1803 Stratford Avenue in Bridgeport to celebrate the grand opening of the Milestone Apartments, a new, 30-unit permanent supportive housing development designed for low-income adults with special needs and with a particular preference for veterans in Bridgeport'
s East End.
Built by affordable housing developer Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust (BNT), Milestone will help revitalize the neighborhood. The first floor of the complex has 9,000 square feet of commercial space that will be home to a new early learning center operated by Action for Bridgeport Community Development, Inc. (ABCD).
The project was financed by a grant approved from the Interagency Committee on Supportive Housing under the state's Permanent Supportive Housing Initiative for the City of Bridgeport HOME funds, financing from Corporation for Supportive Housing, LISC, and Wells Fargo Bank. BNT has a long-standing relationship with the City of
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| HUD Secretary Julian Castro with Director of Housing Development Betsy Cronin, and Director of Homeless Outreach Helen Lavin McAlinden. |
Bridgeport and has a direct grassroots connection with
the East End Neighborhood Revitalization Zone (NRZ),
civic groups and the various governmental entities in the City.
To view the article published in the Connecticut Post, please follow this link.
To read the full story, please follow this link.
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Eddy Shelter Receives Grants from Community Foundation of Middlesex County and BJ's Charitable Foundation
The Connection's Eddy Shelter, which serves homeless adult men and women, has received a $5,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Middlesex County and a $3,770 grant from the BJ's Charitable Foundation. The funds will be used to help provide food, beds and bedding for Shelter guests.
The mission of the Community Foundation of Middlesex County is to impr
ove the quality of life for the people of Middlesex County now and in the future by developing endowments, making grants that have impact, and assisting donors in meeting their philanthropic objectives.
The BJ's Charitable Foundation is dedicated to providing hunger relief in the communities it serves. Since the foundation's inception, $3,249,674 in grants has provided support to 451 local hunger-relief agencies and programs.
We are truly grateful to both the Community Foundation of
 Middlesex County and to the BJ's Charitable Foundation for their continuing, generous support of The Connection and the Eddy Shelter.
The Eddy Shelter is Middlesex County's only homeless shelter for single adult men and women. It is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, provides a hot shower, warm bed, and nutritious meals for nearly 200 homeless men and women. In a typical year, on any given day, the shelter serves 25 - 52 men and women.
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Meriden Client REACHes for Success
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John Caldwell with case managers Samantha Dodge (left) and Nadia Karachristos in his apartment. "It feels good when I come home from work to have my own place."
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John Caldwell, a recent graduate of the REACH program in Meriden, is destined to become one of the
program's great successes.
REACH (Re-Entry Assisted Community Housing) is a statewide, scattered-site supportive housing program for individuals re-entering the community from the correctional system. Case managers work with
clients to find appropriate housing and jobs and to develop the skills needed to maintain successful, independent lives within the community.
John entered the REACH program in
November 2014 and has been working full-time at a warehouse in Meriden since September 2015. In December he moved into his own apartment. John has clear plans for the future, which include finding a better job, finishing school, and finding something to invest in.
To read the full story, please follow this link.
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First Ever Spa Day at Eddy a Great Success!
Thirteen guests of Eddy Shelter and Logano Place receive professional haircuts, manicures, massages, and more!
On Wednesday, December 23, 13 guests of the Eddy Shelter participated in the first-ever Spa Day at Eddy. Participants received chair massages, manicures, haircuts and styling, and makeup applications donated by community volunteers and staff. Many of the guests had never had a professional haircut, professional massage, or manicure and were thrilled to have the opportunity to be pampered in that way. The Spa Day was inspired by a larger event held at Ascencia Homeless Shelter in Glendale, California.
Many, many thanks to Libby Carrier, owner of Main Street Massage in Portland, for donating the massages. Thanks also to Susan Ardolino of Reflections Hair Studio for donating shampoo and conditioners, capes and curling irons for the day, Sarah Wiliarty and helpers who donated $50 toward the purchase of gift bag items, and Stephanie Huffman, owner, and Corinne Gingras, manager/stylist of Echo Salon in Guilford, who donated hair products for the goody bags.
Many staff contributed to making the day memorable and fun. Special thanks to Grants Manager Denice Calabrese, who had been a professional hairdresser and still maintains her license. Denice had a full schedule of 13 haircuts and was busy the entire day. Thanks also to Mackenzie Tyson and Lee Anne Borkowski for organizing the day's events and taking photographs and videos; Nadia Karachristos and Mackenzie Tyson for donating their manicuring skills; Nicole Bajek for applying makeup to all the women participants; Claire Bien for logo design and photography; and Beth Connor, Lisa Hansen, and Nanci Jutras provided general assistance.
To view a collage with more pictures, please follow
this link.
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Thank you for your continuing interest in and support of The Connection.
Learn more about us by visiting
www.theconnectioninc.org
or
by calling our toll free helpline: (855) HELP955 (855) 435-7955.
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