Affordable Housing Forums Slated In Simsbury, Hartford

Hartford Foundation for Public Giving

SIMSBURY/HARTFORD, CT — A regional community foundation is hosting multiple forums in the area it serves — including in Simsbury and Hartford — to discuss ways municipalities can encourage and develop afforable housing.

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving awarded a $10,000 grant to the Racial Justice Steering Committee of the Rocky Hill Congregational Church to host a speakers series discussing the development of affordable housing in suburbs.

The program was developed in partnership with the Greater Hartford Interfaith Action Alliance (GHIAA), Desegregate Connecticut and Open Communities Alliance.

This series of four community conversations will include the history that led to segregated housing in the state, stories from people with experience around affordable housing, explanations of current legislation and highlights of how affordable housing benefits everyone in the community.

The four events in the “Welcoming Affordable Housing in the Suburbs” speaker series will be:

• March 15 at the Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in Simsbury, 7 Wescott Road, Simsbury.

• March 16 at Asylum Congregational Church in Hartford (including access via Facebook Live), 814 Asylum Ave., Hartford.

• March 29 at Rocky Hill Congregational Church, Rocky Hill, 805 Old Main St., Rocky Hill.

• April 6 at the Rocky Hill Community Center in Rocky Hill, 761 Old Main St., Rocky Hill.

All events start at 7 p.m. and are free to the public.

Speakers will include: Cori Mackey from Greater Hartford Interfaith Action Alliance Launch; Erin Boggs from Open Communities Alliance; and Pete Harrison from Desegregate CT.

“We were thrilled to receive this grant that will help our neighbors have conversations about affordable housing,” said Val Triblets, chair of the Racial Justice Steering Committee at Rocky Hill Congregational Church.

“In 2020, our church formed this committee which pledged not only to learn, but to work to change the laws, methods, and attitudes that have been used, and are still being used, to suppress the freedoms, opportunities, and health of our siblings of color.

"We believe that now is the time to act on affordable housing issues, as town leaders develop affordable housing plans and the state legislature is working on bills that provide needed reforms. But in order to act, we all need to be informed.”

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding towns.

For more information about the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.