The Connection Inc. provides over 1,400 units of supportive housing in nearly 80 of Connecticut’s towns. The Connection is one of Connecticut’s largest supportive housing providers, in addition to being a leader in the fields of mental health. “We believe everyone should have a home,” Heide Erb, Communications Coordinator for The Connection, says. “With supportive housing we believe that people who were previously homeless can be permanently housed if given the right supports.”

The vast majority of The Connection’s supportive housing apartments are provided through a scattered-site approach. This means that the supportive housing apartments are located in market-rate housing in communities across Connecticut’s communities. Depending on what services they need and where they live, the hundreds of tenants in The Connection’s supportive housing are served through a number of different programs. In Middletown, Groton, and New Haven, tenants are served by The Connection’s Pilots programs. In Bridgeport, The Connection runs a Women’s Recovery Support Program which helps single women recover from substance abuse and stabilize their lives in supportive housing. There is also a supportive housing program in Bridgeport which is open to men and women.

Throughout the state, The Connection’s Supportive Housing for Families helps formerly homeless mothers and fathers who are involved with the Department of Children and Families reconnect with their children. The program also helps families at risk of homelessness stay together by securing housing in crises.

    
Legion Woods site - before and after

The Connection also has the distinction of being involved in the creation of Connecticut’s first supportive housing site. Liberty Commons opened in June of 1996 in Middletown (where the organization is headquartered) and provides 40 apartments. The development was sponsored by The Connection Fund, Inc. as part of the Supportive Housing Demonstration Program.  Liberty Commons’ success helped Connecticut’s supportive housing advocates make the case for further State investment in supportive housing. This paved the way for Connecticut’s Supportive Housing Pilots Initiative and future initiatives which continue to provide supportive housing across the state. Legion Woods, The Connection Fund’s other site-based supportive housing project, is located in New Haven and opened in May of 2006. It has 19 supportive housing apartments for men and women with disabilities, 10 of which are reserved for veterans.

Both supportive housing locations are examples of how supportive housing can be a beneficial addition to a neighborhood. The Liberty Commons project rehabilitated a 1920s hotel which had fallen into disrepair and notoriety over the years. Legion Woods was built in property which had been vacant for a decade – it had formerly been two apartment buildings, a restaurant and a bar. These projects demonstrate how supportive housing can revitalize a neighborhood and how neighborhoods where supportive housing is located experience an increase in property values.

Another important program that The Connection directs is Re-Entry Assisted Community Housing. Community re-entry for ex-offenders is a key issue in preventing homelessness. In New Haven, Meriden, Bristol, New Britain, Danbury and Torrington, the Connection has programs which help those leaving the criminal justice system find a place to live as well as employment. The ongoing services in supportive housing help to keep a safety net for these clients, who often lack a network of support when leaving a correctional institution.  Since The Connection has decades of experience in behavioral health, the supportive housing provided by the organization reflect their knowledge and experience in tailoring their programs to various at-risk populations.

The organization’s work began in 1972 with the opening of Connection House, a halfway house located in Middletown. In 1986, The Connection Fund was established in order to focus on the development of facilities for The Connection’s programs. The Connection Fund’s new website (LINK) aptly describes its work as providing the “bricks and mortar” for The Connection Inc. The Connection now has expanded to approximately 280 employees throughout Connecticut.

Throughout all its work, The Connection seeks community-based solutions for those it serves. In the future, The Connection Inc., in conjunction with The Connection Fund, is looking to continue to create supportive housing. The Connection is involved with many of Connecticut’s local 10 Year Plans to End Homelessness, which set the production of more supportive housing as a priority to ending homelessness. Continuing their work in assistance for first time home buyers is a priority for The Connection as well. The availability of affordable housing for both homeownership and rental is an important part of the larger picture of preventing homelessness and creating healthier communities.

Click here to visit The Connection Inc.’s website.