For the People

Meet the director of New Reach, a nonprofit organization committed to making homelessness in Connecticut rare, brief and non-recurring. New Reach recently received a $2.5 million grant from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund - the largest private gift in the organization’s history - so we'll get a few insights on how the grant is going to be utilized to better address homelessness in the region.

Then we'll resume our series looking at the health and quality of life in the lower Naugatuck Valley using the Valley Community Foundation's latest Index report, as seen through the eyes of the regional Health District Director.

And while it's early January, good work surrounding community agriculture never really stops at Green Village Initiative, a recent Connoisseur Cares program honoree. So, we'll close with the first of a two-part visit chatting up GVI's executive director about what's happening at the farm right now, and what's in store as she and her team dig in for 2023.

If you'll be visiting with aging loved ones this holiday season, our expert from Assisted Living Services will be discussing the most important things to look for and know if you believe someone you know may be in failing health, suffering from depression, or may just need some experienced guidance as they age in place.

Then, if you are shocked by the rising cost of your healthcare coverage, we're bringing in a commissioner from the CT Insurance Dept. and the state's Healthcare Advocate to help us understand some of the major drivers behind escalating insurance expenses.

And we're closing with the new director at Connecticut Main Street Center - to learn more about how the agency is providing education, training, resources and technical assistance, while functioning as the statewide champion for downtowns and Main Streets of all sizes.

Our guest from Connecticut's Office of the Arts is picking up the conversation we started over the summer now that the agency is preparing to celebrate our 2022 Connecticut Arts Hero finalists. We'll hear who this year's Arts Heroes are, and let you in on how to be part of the celebration.

Our next segment with the President and CEO of the Connecticut Health Foundation takes up the importance of accurately documenting race, ethnicity, and language when delivering appropriate and optimal health care to everyone across the state.

Finally, we're replaying a recent chat about financial literacy, community outreach, and financial management with Connex nonprofit Credit Union. We'll learn ways young people, college students and adults can manage their money and credit more effectively - along with a few tips that might save your child or college student from getting into financial rough waters.

We're introducing a new program serving New Haven with a representative from Continuum of Care discussing the recently launched COMPASS initiative that's training and equipping teams of social workers and peer support to respond to crisis interventions and mental health emergencies.

Then we'll continue our latest series drilling into the latest Valley Community Index - a collaborative project involving the Vally Community Foundation, Griffin Hospital, the Naugatuck Valley Health District and DataHaven - by bringing in the CEO of Team Incorporated to discuss challenges involving early childhood care and housing in the lower Naugatuck Valley.

And we'll close replaying a recent chat with Aware Recovery Care to remind you about their unique, successful in-home recovery program along with the critical roles played by loved ones as part of the recovery team - and not just the ones shouldering the entire challenge.

We're opening replaying a chat with End Hunger Connecticut, which earlier this year convened a round table of policy makers and experts discussing the future of the state's summer meals program, and what's in store for kids in cafeterias all over the state the coming school year.

Then we're going to kick off a series of discussions about the lower Naugatuck Valley and some of the many factors affecting its health, economies, and overall quality of life. Our guest from the Valley Community Foundation will check in to brief us on the latest Valley Community Index, and begin steering us toward the points we'll continue addressing as this series progresses here on For the People.

Then, we'll begin a conversation about the complex issue of toxins in our foods. Recently representatives from the CT Agriculture Experiment Station and the University of Mass at Amherst released an important report on toxins in our food, and we're bringing in one of the report's principal authors to begin a discussion on how these toxins get there, and what we can begin to do about it.

There have been 35,000 deaths in the U.S. so far this year from gun violence, following 45,000 deaths in 2020 and 2021! So we're bringing in a long-time gun owner who happens to be a trauma surgeon for CT Children's Medical Center for a cool, calm, and politics-free conversation about how we can start trending down these horrific losses, so many involving children.

Then we're circling back with the Connecticut bureau of the Natural Resources Conservation Service - a division of the US Department of Agriculture - to get the latest on the programs and financial and technical assistance they're offering to farmers and private landowners through their brand new website.

And you probably heard that the 5th Circuit recently ruled that DACA - Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals - was unconstitutional, and new DACA applications will no longer be allowed. So if you are or know one of the 1 million-plus undocumented Dreamers living without legal status, we're reconnecting with our resource at Immigration Help to find out how that nonprofit may be of assistance.

Meet the Connecticut Cancer Foundation a premier nonprofit that has supported over 8,000 families struggling with the disease, along with devoting millions to cancer research. We'll hear about their No Shave CT activities and get a preview of what's to come for the foundation's celebrity-studded gala early next year.

Then we'll be talking with an environmental expert from H2M architects + engineers about the water we drink and that flows through our households and communities — and the increasing risks of the various contaminants that could impact our personal and public health. 

And we'll close with Goodwill of Western and Northern CT which is locating and recruiting veterans facing homelessness to better support them in finding stable places to live, new jobs and careers, and a number of other services - and how you can support local service members at Goodwill's Stand Up for Veterans on November 18.

We're wrapping up our October Domestic Violence Awareness Month series with a couple of true front line responders when a domestic violence victim or witness reaches out for help. 

We'll be visiting the Newtown Emergency Communications Center and Police Department to speak first with a respected emergency telecommunications leader, as well as a police sergeant heading up Newtown's new community policing division to explain what to expect in those first few crucial moments when you call 9-1-1 for help.

Then we're heading up to CT Electric Car Charging Systems to help celebrate the 10th anniversary of the company who helped install the state's first electric vehicle charging stations, and is on track to hook up hundreds more in the coming years. We'll chat with the company owner as well as a number of key state and federal officials in attendance - so stay tuned.

In this next segment of our series during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we're going to talk to CT Paid Leave's CEO about benefits that may be available for domestic violence victims and their immediate caregivers, along with discussing other ways this new benefit can assist others across Connecticut.

Then we're going to hear about a brand new health system now serving much or western Connecticut with mental health and behavioral crisis and other related issues - as we chat with the new boss at McCall Behavioral Health Network.

The Kennedy Center has rebranded - and is now known as The Kennedy Collective. So we'll bring in their leader to get the backstory leading up to this historic name change, and what's in store for current and future Kennedy Collective clients, staff, and supporters in the future.

We're continuing our month-long Domestic Violence Awareness Month series with the the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence (CCADV) - the state’s leading voice for victims of domestic violence and those organizations that serve them. We'll discuss the vital role law enforcement officers play in domestic violence response and help promote the coalition's new CTSafeConnect resource.

Then, on October 20, four exceptional women will be honored at the 29th Annual Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame Ceremony and Celebration. So we're chatting up  the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame’s Executive Director about the event and how you can get in on celebrating these and all women across our state.

And we'll wrap touting New Haven Promise - a nonprofit that is building a culture in local public schools in which students aspire to attend and graduate from college; providing financial incentives and support for those students; and facilitating their return to live, work and serve in the greater New Haven community.