New Haven Org Commits To Raising $600K For Dixwell, Newhallville

NEW HAVEN, CT — The Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology (ConnCAT) has announced the launch of a crisis relief fund to raise $600,000 for the Dixwell and Newhallville neighborhoods. The fund intends to raise $100,000 per month for the next six months to help provide families meet basic needs such as food, medication, rent, utilities, and transportation.

In its first week, ConnCAT's Crisis Relief Fund has raised over $100,000 towards its goal.

"Given the crisis in which we find ourselves, we have a moral obligation to give hope to the people we serve," ConnCAT President & CEO Erik Clemons said in a letter to donors last week. "That’s why we’re committed to proclaim the power of justice through service and, through a concerted effort, exact the wrongs of poverty."

"In these unprecedented times, the stark economic disparities in our community are apparent," said Karen DuBois-Walton, President of Elm City Communities. "We eagerly partner with ConnCAT to disseminate the funds raised to families who may benefit in the Dixwell and Newhallville communities. We’ve identified hundreds of families who receive affordable housing services and who are in need and on our waiting lists who may benefit from the funds raised by generous donors and are poised to quickly disseminate these funds."

The Newhallville and Dixwell neighborhoods have one of the highest concentrations of poverty in New Haven, with 45% of the families earning less than $25,000, according to a statement from ConnCAT.

Those interested in donating can:

• Make a donation online at Conncat.org/crisis_relief_fund
• Send a check payable to ConnCAT, referencing the ConnCAT Crisis Relief Fund. Please send to ConnCAT, 4 Science Park, New Haven, CT 06511
• Make a donation through theGreatGive.org (Connecticut Center For Arts and Technology)