Community Partners in Action (CPA) was awarded a grant from Hartford
Foundation for Public Giving to develop and operate a Reentry Welcome Center.
The Reentry Welcome Center is located on the ground floor of City Hall at 550
Main Street in Hartford. It will be open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to
4:00 pm. The Center will provide individuals returning home from incarceration
access to support, resources, information and referrals to vital services. The
Center welcomes anyone who is formerly incarcerated and is seeking basic
information on programs and resources that will assist them in reintegrating
back into our community. The Welcome Center is prioritizing individuals who
have recently been released to the community as end of sentence (EOS), which
means the individual is not on parole and/or probation upon release.
The Center was opened on Monday, September 17th and since then they have
served over 60 people and have had two Department Of Corrections (DOC) drop
offs (individuals dropped off after EOS from a correction center). They currently
have Department of Social Services (DSS), Foodshare and Toivo by Advocacy
Unlimited committed to providing services in the Welcome Center once a week.
DSS will be there to assist individuals with applying for health insurance, SNAP
benefits and/or cash assistance. Foodshare will also be at the center once a week
to assist with obtaining Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
benefits. Tovio by Advocacy Unlimited will provide financial literacy to the
participants of the center. The staff at the Welcome Center have all been trained
in our Coordinated Access Network (CAN) system and will be able to assist their
clients with diversion and/or shelter placement.
These services provided by the Reentry Welcome Center are essential to an
individual’s successful reintegration back into our community. Similar Centers
have been established in New Haven and Bridgeport. For more information
about the Reentry Welcome Center in Hartford, pleases contact Anthony Carter,
Supervising Case Manager from Community Partners in Action at (860) 973-2748
ext. 2748 or via email at acarter@cpa-ct.org.