New Women's Empowerment Center In Hartford Opens

CT Treasury: Treasurer Shawn T. Wooden today joined with Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, Lena Rodriguez, president and CEO of Community Renewal Team (CRT), Fernando Betancourt, chairman of CRT’s Board of Directors,Tenesha Grant, director of Women’s Services, Karen Delgado Agosto, a member of CRT’s Women Empowerment Center, and radio personality Joan Dylan, of WRCH 100.5 LITE FM, to cut the grand opening ribbon of CRT’s new Women Empowerment Center at 330 Market Street, Hartford. The event was sponsored by Liberty Bank.

CRT’s Women’s Empowerment Center is a new and innovative resource for whom women in Hartford are provided specialized case management, education, and mentoring services to encourage them to establish self-reliance, housing security, stable careers and a commitment to boosting themselves out of poverty in order to better support themselves and their families.

In his remarks which applauded CRT’s leadership, services, and the many clients served, Treasurer Wooden touched on his own family’s connection to the North Hartford community and to CRT: “My parents devoted more than 30 years of service to CRT, where Mom worked in the energy assistance program and Dad managed a senior center and neighborhood community center. They helped many thousands of individuals and I personally met hundreds of people assisted by CRT. It was here, and through their work, that I learned what it is to be human, and what it means to help one another. And, it is here, at CRT, where many have found and continue to find hope and success.”

“The Community Renewal Team started its Women’s Empowerment Center in Hartford because we want to ensure that the women we serve have every opportunity to control their own futures, and that they have the skills, resources and support they need to thrive both personally and professionally,” said Tenesha Grant, CRT’s Director of Women’s Services.

Community Renewal Team is a 501(c) (3) anti-poverty community action agency for individuals and families of both Hartford and Middlesex Counties. Founded in 1963, CRT is committed to helping people meet their basic needs while promoting and supporting self-sufficiency. CRT carries out its mission by creating, coordinating, and delivering a broad array of programs and services to thousands of individuals and families in our communities. This includes: Behavioral Health Services, Energy Assistance and Weatherization, Elderly Nutrition Services, Early Care and Education, Veterans’ Services, employment and training, housing assistance and services, an affordable assisted living facility and many more. Their largest program is Energy Assistance, which kept 39,862 individuals warm during the winter months.