The Storyline

In this episode of In Short Supply, we delve into the legacy of urban renewal and the complicated history of the Thames River Apartments in New London Connecticut. And we hear from an affordable housing developer about the challenges that these much-needed below-market-rate projects face.

In Short Supply is a podcast series examining how the housing crisis, which is affecting the country as a whole and is getting worse with the growth in inflation, impacts the communities of southeastern Connecticut. It is part of The Day's yearlong investigative initiative called the Housing Solutions Lab. 

You can find the housing series at theday.com/housinglab

You can support this podcast and the Housing Solutions Lab by making a tax-deductible donation at givebutter.com/thedayhousing. 

We want to thank our community donors and our supporting partners: The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut, The William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund, the Melville Charitable Trust and the Chelsea Groton Foundation

In this episode of the In Short Supply podcast, we hear from The Day staff writer Elizabeth Reagan about how our region is faring when it comes to the housing crisis and why there seems to be a short supply of affordable homes, housing developments, and options for some members of our communities. How does this all deepen the existing economic divide in our state and country? And how do we address, what Cathy Zall the executive director of New London Homeless Hospitality calls the mismatch between income and the cost of living?

In Short Supply is a podcast series examining how the housing crisis, which is affecting the country as a whole and is getting worse with the growth in inflation, impacts the communities of southeastern Connecticut. It is part of The Day's yearlong investigative initiative called the Housing Solutions Lab. 

You can find the housing series at theday.com/housinglab

You can support this podcast and the Housing Solutions Lab by making a tax-deductible donation at givebutter.com/thedayhousing. 

We want to thank our community donors and our supporting partners: The Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut, The William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund, the Melville Charitable Trust and the Chelsea Groton Foundation

Presenting In Short Supply, a podcast by The Day about how the housing crisis is deepening the economic divide.

Connecticut evictions in 2022 surpassed pre-pandemic numbers. There were more than 22,000 evictions statewide last year, according to data collected by The Connecticut Fair Housing Center. That yearly number exceeds evictions reported in at least the previous five years. 

The Day has published a series of stories on this growing issue. Day reporter Greg Smith in partnership with University of Connecticut professor Mike Stanton and students in his advanced investigative reporting class analyzed the eviction data and told the stories of desperate tenants and frustrated landlords.

On Sunday, January 5, 1969, the 118-foot ship Sea Surveyor departed from Electric Boat in Groton. The mission was routine: to rendezvous with a submarine, conduct some antenna communication tests, and return home. When the 12 crew and passengers eventually returned they had left their ship at the bottom of the Atlantic. What went wrong?

Retired Dr. David Bingham, who opened the region's first clinic providing contraceptives and abortions, took us back to the days when women desperate to terminate their pregnancies maimed or killed themselves with coat hangers, knitting needles, and chemicals. He talked of hospital "septic tank wards" for women suffering from the effects of botched abortions.

New London prides itself on its diversity of music, but some musicians have found it hard to find a place in the city's music community. UConn's Gladi Suero talked to Queer Afro-Indigenous artist and community organizer Erycka Ortiz about her musical journey in New London and how she found a supportive fanbase and how she centers her art on celebrating her identity.

About the Sound On The Sound series

Under the direction of instructors Gail B. MacDonald, a UConn professor in residence and former Day reporter, and Carlos Virgen, The Day's assistant managing editor for audience development, UConn journalism students worked all semester crafting stories in text, audio and photographs that strive to tell parts of the overarching tale of music in New London. They spoke to musicians, business people, city and regional officials, educators and others to inform their work. These stories will be published in The Day and on theday.com

Restaurants and bars are pivotal in the New London music scene. The pandemic has forced some to close and while others have had to reinvent. UConn's Corina Wallenta talked to Wendy Bury, the executive director of Southeastern Connecticut Cultural Coalition, about the role of restaurants in the New London music scene. She also talked to Sean Murray, manager of The Social and The Oasis - a restaurant and pub that are central in the downtown New London scene, and musicians Sean Nelson and Noah Feldman who have relied on the establishments to bring their music to live audiences.

About the Sound On The Sound series

Under the direction of instructors Gail B. MacDonald, a UConn professor in residence and former Day reporter, and Carlos Virgen, The Day's assistant managing editor for audience development, UConn journalism students worked all semester crafting stories in text, audio and photographs that strive to tell parts of the overarching tale of music in New London. They spoke to musicians, business people, city and regional officials, educators and others to inform their work. These stories will be published in The Day and on theday.com.

Music is routinely used in therapy by mental health professionals. Musicians also use music as a medium to find emotional catharsis. UConn's Madison Gardner spoke to New London therapist Janelle Posey-Green and musician Daphne Parker Powell – who now lives in New Orleans but was previously based in New London – about the healing power of music.

About the Sound On The Sound series

Under the direction of instructors Gail B. MacDonald, a UConn professor in residence and former Day reporter, and Carlos Virgen, The Day's assistant managing editor for audience development, UConn journalism students worked all semester crafting stories in text, audio and photographs that strive to tell parts of the overarching tale of music in New London. They spoke to musicians, business people, city and regional officials, educators and others to inform their work. These stories will be published in The Day and on theday.com

Over the last eight years, the annual "Pass the Guitar" event benefiting the New London Homeless Hospitality Center has raised close to $24,000. The event is just one example of a long list of ways in which the lure of music in New London has been used as a force for communal well-being, philanthropic outreach, and economic stimulation in the region. UConn's John Leahy spoke to Hugh Birdsall, founding member of seminal New London band The Reducers and creator of the "Pass the Guitar" event, about how the benefit event was born.

About the Sound On The Sound series

Under the direction of instructors Gail B. MacDonald, a UConn professor in residence and former Day reporter, and Carlos Virgen, The Day's assistant managing editor for audience development, UConn journalism students worked all semester crafting stories in text, audio and photographs that strive to tell parts of the overarching tale of music in New London. They spoke to musicians, business people, city and regional officials, educators and others to inform their work. These stories will be published in The Day and on theday.com

New London – the Whaling City – has always been intrinsically connected to the waterways that surround it. In fact, it was Connecticut's first official port. And before the European colonizers arrived, the Indian tribes in the region relied on the water to travel and fish, and it was closely tied to their spiritual and cultural traditions. 

UConn's Alison Cross spoke to Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel, Mohegan Tribe Medicine Woman and tribal historian, and Steve Manuel, executive director of the New London County Historical Society, about how the surrounding waterways have influenced music in New London.

About the Sound On The Sound series

Under the direction of instructors Gail B. MacDonald, a UConn professor in residence and former Day reporter, and Carlos Virgen, The Day's assistant managing editor for audience development, UConn journalism students worked all semester crafting stories in text, audio and photographs that strive to tell parts of the overarching tale of music in New London. They spoke to musicians, business people, city and regional officials, educators and others to inform their work. These stories will be published in The Day and on theday.com