News & Events
Rallies Held in Multiple Cities to Call for More Investment in Childcare
A stronger investment in childcare is what many parents and educators asked for during rallies in several cities on March 15. Organizers called the push “Morning without Childcare.” Groups met in Danbury, New Haven, Waterbury, Stamford, New Britain and many other areas. They hoped to call attention to what they describe as a true crisis. The parents and educators gathered in New Britain made a public plea for change within the Early Childhood Care system.
Package of Housing Affordability Bills Moves Forward
The General Assembly’s Housing Committee sent a diverse package of bills to the floor or to other committees with joint favorable reports, including the right to housing bill which seeks to “establish a right to housing for all residents of the state and a right to housing committee.” Deb Monahan, executive director of Thames Valley Council for Community Action, said that “It would be great to pass something like this, but there are two things people need."
7 Danbury Food Organizations to Receive Mini Grants to Feed Elderly Residents
Seven organizations have been awarded mini grants from the United Way of Western Connecticut and the Age Well Community Council to continue their work in addressing food insecurity among Danbury’s eldest residents. Awardees include the Association of Religious Communities, Community Action Agency of Western Connecticut, Daily Bread Food Pantry, Danbury Farmers’ Market and City Center, Interfaith AIDS Ministry, Purple Heart Ministries International, and Real Food Share.
Hartford 911 Calls for Mental Health Emergencies Can Now Be Answered by Crisis Team Instead of Cops
In a change of longstanding norms, Hartford residents experiencing acute mental or behavioral health emergencies will soon be able to access treatment and support services through 911 without confronting an armed police officer. City officials announced the Hartford Emergency Assistance Response Team (or HEARTeam), a coalition of three partner organizations that will act as an alternative to law enforcement during nonviolent health emergencies.
Hartford Organization Distributes Coats to Families
While winter may seem like it’s letting up some, the cold weather is expected to be back in full force in a number of days. A massive effort is underway in Hartford to get warm coats to people in need across the state. On Wednesday, Community Renewal Team (CRT) members hit the road with coats in hand as a part of a partnership with Ocean State Job Lots. Shoppers have been donating coats, which will be distributed throughout Connecticut.
Nonprofit Executive Director Credits Her Mission to Help Others to Black Leaders Before Her
Trace the journey of Dr. Monette Ferguson from poverty to prominence and you will find a path that was cleared long before she was born by great figures from Black history. "They are the reason I'm able to sit in this seat. They are the reason I'm able to have some of the freedoms that my ancestors did not have," said Ferguson, executive director of Alliance for Community Empowerment, formerly ABCD.
Former Hotel in Hartford’s South Meadows to Become New Emergency Shelter for Men
An emergency shelter for men in downtown Hartford could open as early as this spring in a new location in the city’s South Meadows but the shelter will keep the name it has had for more than three decades. The Community Renewal Team, the longtime operator of the Stewart B. McKinney Men’s Emergency Shelter on Huyshope Avenue, has purchased the former Days Inn hotel on Brainard Road for $3.4 million and plans about $1 million in renovations.
Energy Funding Assistance Must be Maintained, New Haven Nonprofit Leaders Tell Murphy
Addie Kimbrough, a community garden organizer in Newhallville, said when an elderly neighbor received a call from United Illuminating about an assistance program to aid with utility costs, she was convinced it was a scam. However, that was not the case. Through an overall increase in federal spending as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program program received an infusion of cash.
CTLN Opinion+: Deb Polun
CTLN Opinion+ had the opportunity to speak with Deb Polun, the Executive Director of the Connecticut Association for Community Action (CAFCA). CAFCA is the Connecticut-based association of the state’s nine Community Action Agencies (CAAs) which aim to combat poverty. The association’s mission is “to support, strengthen, and promote the work of the Community Action Agencies statewide to advance economic, racial, and social justice.” Polun says they implement this by remaining deeply rooted in their communities.
Child Care Centers Say They Need Federal Funds to Help Through COVID-Related Staff Shortages
Child care providers told state officials that federal aid is necessary to address ongoing staff shortages and nearly 100 classroom closures due to COVID-19. The shortage comes as the state’s coronavirus daily test positivity rate hovered just above 23% on Monday, with confirmed community spread of the highly transmissible omicron variant. In 2020, Connecticut data shows that 27 child care centers and licensed family child care homes closed due to COVID-19.