Hartford Dedicates Improved Center For Ex-inmates

Press release from the Hartford County Government:

HARTFORD, CT — Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin and Community Partners in Action (CPA) recently joined U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., advocates, partners, participants, and state and local leaders to cut the ribbon on the expanded, improved Re-entry Welcome Center (RWC) in Hartford at its new location at 716 Windsor Street.

CPA is a statewide organization that provides support services for those who have recently been incarcerated.

CPA and the City of Hartford opened the RWC in September 2018 at City Hall.

Since then, they have assisted over 1,000 individuals returning from incarceration, with a priority focus on people released at the end of their sentence.

The initiative, and expanded programming, is being funded in part by a three-year, $375,000 grant recently awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice, $300,000 per year for three years from the City of Hartford’s investment of American Rescue Plan funds, and through ongoing support from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.

All funding will allow CPA to assist more people, including those on probation and parole, and expand programming to include pre-release services.

“One of my team’s earliest and most important priorities was building the capacity to provide real, meaningful reentry supports to those coming back to our community from incarceration, and we’re thrilled that Community Partners in Action is able to provide even more services at this new, expanded Reentry Welcome Center,” said Bronin July 15. “Our community is stronger and our neighborhoods are safer when those returning to our community from incarceration have the ability to get a new start and build better lives, and we’re so grateful to have partners like CPA who understand the importance of that work."

Hartford’s Reentry Welcome Center provides a centralized, one-stop hub with case management support and a connection to comprehensive wrap-around services provided by center staff and community partners.

Beginning on day one of someone’s release from the CT Department of Correction or by walking in, each person will be welcomed by staff, who provide them with an array of services based on their individualized plan to ensure there is a continuum of care.

"CPA is proud to be a leader in providing case management, vital services, and referrals such as basic needs, employment, and housing assistance, along with referrals for substance abuse and mental health for those returning to the community from prison," said Beth Hines, the organization's executive director.

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving’s support for this effort began with an Innovation Grant in 2016, which engaged many of the Reentry Welcome Center’s current partners to examine data and develop a plan.

“We are pleased to continue our support of the Reentry Welcome Center, which provides the immediate, stabilizing supports that men and women returning from incarceration need to successfully reintegrate into the community,” said Hartford Foundation President and CEO Jay Williams.

“Thanks to a significant federal grant and funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, Community Partners in Action will be able to provide more immediate and vital support to men and women re-entering society after incarceration,” said U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

“A criminal sentence shouldn't be a permanent housing death sentence. A criminal sentence shouldn't be a permanent employment death sentence. But it often is for too many people here in Hartford. CPA is doing the hard work of making sure that everybody that gets out of prison in Hartford has an easy place to go and find the help that they need,” said Murphy.

CPA was founded nearly 150 years ago to champion criminal justice reform and advocate for preserving the dignity of those in and out of prison. For more information, visit www.cpa-ct.org.

This press release was produced by the Hartford County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.