All In for Ansonia & Derby to host community dinner at Derby Neck Library

 

Save the date: TEAM slates Men Who Cook at Warsaw Park in Ansonia

Friends - we are excited to announce that Men Who Cook will be back for the first time since 2019! 

This long-standing event brings our community together over good food, drinks, dancing, raffles, and more. 

We look forward to highlighting our wonderful volunteer chefs, as well as the numerous programs TEAM runs to better the lives of individuals and families in our region, including Meals on Wheels, housing and food support programs, childcare, our Diaper Bank, medical transportation, income tax assistance, and so much more.
Tickets are on sale, and sponsorship opportunities are available. 

See further details at https://teaminc.org/men-who-cook/

More information to come! 

This is shared from TEAM's Facebook page.

TEAM, Inc. in Derby taking applications for COVID-19 response assistance

 

TEAM, Inc. to hold Zoom meeting on housing in Ansonia, Derby

 

Save the date: TEAM to host forum via Zoom on housing in Ansonia, Derby

Shared from a TEAM event page on Facebook:

Every town has its own housing needs. Meeting those needs can:

• Keep property taxes down and expand municipal grand lists!
• Allow seniors to stay in their towns, near their families and friends.
• Provide relief for thousands burdened by high housing costs.
• Help merchants by increasing the buying power of Valley residents.
• Increase home ownership and reduce blight.
• Improve school achievement and prevent homelessness.
• Attract young families and a skilled labor force.
RSVP by clicking the like below. 

Registration is free through Eventbrite.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/team-housing-forum-2021

Rochelle: Ansonia receives $400K state grant for housing rehab

This is shared from a press release from state Rep. Kara Rochelle, D-Ansonia/Derby:

I am pleased to share that Ansonia is among the 12 municipalities in Connecticut awarded $13 million in Small Cities Grants through the state's Community Development Block Grant to modernize and rehabilitate housing. Ansonia received a $400,000 grant, which will capitalize its Housing Rehabilitation Program. The program seeks to make health and safety improvements to homes of low and moderate-income community residents. Project repairs will address the needs of 12 to 20 households with code violations to create safer conditions. The city will prioritize homes with health and safety concerns and/or life-threatening conditions. Ansonia residents who are interested in applying for funding should contact Sheila O'Malley at somalley@ansoniact.org, or Anna Andretta at aandretta@ansoniact.org, or call 203-922-3946. This funding is critically important for people who are already strapped for resources and will help fund enhancements to the city's housing stock and increase property values. Thank you to Governor Lamont and Connecticut Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno for allocating resources to improve residents' lives. I am grateful Sheila O'Malley, Ansonia's Director of Economic Development, recognized and pursued this opportunity for Ansonia's hard-working residents. Housing opens doors for our city and its residents. This is wonderful news for our community. Ansonia residents that are interested in applying for funding should contact Sheila O'Malley at somalley@ansoniact.org, or Anna Andretta at aandretta@ansoniact.org, or call 203-922-3946. Read more about the Small Cities program here.

TEAM, Inc. to hold Housing Forum at Inn at Villa Bianca in Seymour

Every town has its own housing needs. Meeting those needs can:

• Keep property taxes down and expand municipal grand lists.
• Allow seniors to stay in their towns, near their families and friends.
• Provide relief for thousands burdened by high housing costs.
• Help merchants by increasing the buying power of Valley residents.
• Increase homeownership and reduce blight.
• Improve school achievement and prevent homelessness.
• Attract young families and a skilled labor force.

Housing is the cornerstone of opportunity. Creating the right housing options is right for the Valley. 
The TEAM Housing Forum will kickstart a cooperative effort by our leaders and residents to create the homes we need.

Senior housing options topic of talk at Shelton Senior Center

SHELTON - The Valley Senior Services Council will host a free senior housing options talk at 4:30 p.m. March 21 at the Shelton Senior Center, 81 Wheeler St.

A panel of experts will provide information and answer questions about congregate housing, assisted living, home care, and more. 

Refreshments will be available. 
RSVP to 203-924-9324 (Shelton Senior Center).

Updated Valley profile report now available

Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments staff recently completed an update to the Regional Profile for the 19 municipalities comprising the region.

The Regional Profile compiles population, economic, and housing data from a variety of sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the Connecticut Department of Labor, and the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development.  

This report provides useful statistical data to public officials, local organizations, developers, private citizens, students, businesses, and others interested in population, housing and economic trends. NVCOG staff prepares an update each year.  

The data is intended to assist municipalities with grant applications, updates to planning and economic development documents, and provide information to local boards and commissions. An analysis and overview of important regional trends is found in the beginning of the report.  

More detailed tables and maps showing information for each municipality are found in the appendices.

As a supplement to the Regional Profile, NVCOG staff has created an interactive web-based application to provide access to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data at the block group or block level. This tool allows users to obtain statistics for smaller areas within a municipality.

The Regional Profile report and web-based application can found on NVCOG’s website, www.nvcogct.org

“Just as the State of Connecticut is very diverse as a whole, the NVCOG region demonstrates considerable diversity in demographic data, which the Regional Profile summarizes well,” NVCOG GIS Program Coordinator Glenda Prentiss said. “Providing supplemental access to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey data at the block group or block level is a new feature that offers the opportunity to provide even more specific data.”  

This is a press release from the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments. 

Gentile: Ansonia to get $400,000 grant for housing rehabilitation

Homeowners will be able to pay for improvements 

ANSONIA - State Rep. Linda M. Gentile, D-Ansonia/Derby, is pleased to report Ansonia is getting a $400,000 housing grant.  

The funds will help low and moderate-income homeowners to rehabilitate their homes.  

As many as 10 homes are expected to use the funds for roof replacement, heating system upgrades, window replacement, lead paint and asbestos removal, electrical, and building code upgrades.

“This is great news for Ansonia and for homeowners in desperate need of fixing up their properties,” said Gentile.  

“We all know how expensive it can be to pay for repairs and normal home maintenance. These funds will help ease the financial burden while improving property values.”

Twenty other towns in Connecticut with populations under 50,000 are sharing a $13 million Community Development Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

This is a press release from the Connecticut House Democrats' office.

Conroy joins Malloy, officials to announce CT certified as having ended vet homelessness

From left: Michael Ebert, M.D., Chief of Staff VA CT Healthcare System, state Rep. Theresa Conroy of Seymour and Laurie Harkness, PhD., VA at the announcement that Connecticut has effectively eliminated veteran homelessness./ Contributed photo

HARTFORD - State Rep. Theresa Conroy, D-Seymour, Beacon Falls, Derby, joined Gov. Dannel Malloy and state and federal officials at a ceremony Thursday at the state armory to announce the federal government has certified Connecticut as having effectively ended homelessness among veterans.

“This milestone is a major one - we have been a national leader on so many issues and today is yet another reflection,” Malloy said. 

“Caring for veterans must be a priority and Connecticut is leading the pack,” said Conroy, who worked as a nurse for 28 years at the West Haven VA Health Center. “Today’s announcement is something of which all Connecticut residents should be proud.”

“We're proud to have achieved this ambitious goal," Malloy said. "Just a few years ago, there was no Department of Housing in Connecticut.  

"Today, we're being recognized for reaching the high goals that we've set. We've built the infrastructure, through a network of partnerships and investments, to the point at which our housing and supports delivers a home to every veteran in our state.  I am incredibly proud of our federal and state agencies, our nonprofits, and our community providers on the frontlines.  But we will not stop here - we will keep working to end chronic homelessness in Connecticut by the end of this year."

The designation comes after an extensive review by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs.

Last August, Connecticut made history when it became the first state in the nation certified by the group as having eliminated chronic homelessness among veterans.  

Chronic homelessness is defined as an individual with a disability who has been homeless for a period of at least one year or has had three or more episodes of homelessness that total one year.  

Thursday's announcement means the state has effectively eliminated homelessness among all veterans.

Through a partnership of local, state, and federal organizations, Connecticut has created a system that works to prevent homelessness among veterans and ensures that when there is a new episode of homelessness, it is brief and non-recurring.

Even with these strengthened homeless prevention services, this designation does not mean a veteran in Connecticut will never again experience an episode of homelessness.  Instead, it means that when a veteran enters an episode of homelessness, the state has the capacity and sustainable systems in place to quickly find and connect this veteran to the assistance needed for him or her to achieve stable, permanent housing.  

The state's network of partners are continually identifying veterans who are experiencing homelessness, rapidly providing them with interim housing when necessary, and placing them into permanent housing with the appropriate support services within 90 days.

“Connecticut has a long history of 'Serving Those Who Served,' dating back to 1864 when the doors to the first Veterans home opened in Darien,” Connecticut Department of Veterans' Affairs Commissioner Sean M. Connolly said.  “Today's announcement follows in that same tradition of commitment to our service women and men through the continued determination of our state leadership putting Veterans first and the vital collaborative relationships between other state and federal entities. This is an incredible victory for Connecticut Veterans.”

This accomplishment is the result of over two years of successful collaboration to enhance Connecticut's homelessness response system for veterans.  Through vastly improved data collection and analysis, streamlined referral protocols, coordinated outreach, a new interim housing system, reformed housing assistance programming, bi-weekly reporting, and targeted resources, Connecticut has reinvented its system for assisting veterans who experience homelessness.  

These procedures have resulted in veterans having a permanent home within 90 days, with a safe place to stay in the interim.  The greatest asset to this effort was the dedicated front-line staff who made this new system a reality with their hard work to rapidly connect with veterans and put them on the path to housing.

Connecticut has been a national leader in the housing arena, recognized for its work to prevent and end homelessness, as well as expanding affordable housing opportunities across the state.  

Since 2011, together with the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, the state has created 7,551 affordable units with another 2,570 affordable units currently under construction, and funding commitments are in place to create another 5,730 affordable units.  The state's investment in affordable housing totals over one billion dollars - a stark representation as to the high level of commitment being made to prevent and end homelessness, while ensuring that every resident has access to secure, safe, and affordable housing.

This is a press release from Conroy's office. 

Derby releases report on community engagement

DERBY – In March the City of Derby held several public meetings throughout the community to give residents the opportunity to express their opinions on issues such as housing, transportation, recreation, city services, and commercial development.

An online survey also was conducted.

The goal of this outreach was to identify the city’s priority issues, assets, and challenges to ensure its planning initiatives reflect the vision of Derby residents.

“In addition to identifying areas that need improvement, residents also provided a lot of great ideas on how to capitalize on Derby’s assets,” said Mayor Anita Dugatto.
The input from these public meetings was compiled into a comprehensive report that is now available for review on the Planning and Zoning web page under the Government Information tab on Derby’s municipal website, www.derbyct.gov.

The public engagement report will inform the update of Derby’s Plan of Conservation and Development, a process that it is currently underway. 
The updated POCD will serve as an advisory document for Derby’s Planning and Zoning Commission, as well as other city boards and commissions.

“The input from our residents is also driving initiatives – big and small – to improve the quality of life of our citizens,” Dugatto said.
“For example, we learned from the sessions that some residents were unaware of Derby’s Single Stream Recycling program. In response to that, we improved the contents of our Public Works web page and distributed recycling flyers at the City Hall booth on Derby Day,” Dugatto said.
“Derby Public Works has also been working diligently in cooperation with the Board of Aldermen to act on some of the larger concerns," she said. "Recent improvements to city parks, recreational areas, and city roads are among their accomplishments."



This is a press release from Mayor Anita Dugatto's office.