About
CRT's mission "Preparing our community to meet life's challenges". We help everyone wo comes to our door with resources for both immediate needs and longer-term goals. As the designated community action agency for both Hartford and Middlesex Counties, the Community Renewal Team (CRT) is dedicated to helping people take steps toward healthy and economically stable futures. Since 1963, our 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization has partnered with local elected officials, providers, funders, businesses, and the community to address challenges like hunger, homelessness, unemployment, and poverty. Together, we increase access to education, affordable housing, mental health services and much more for thousands of individuals and families throughout Central Connecticut each year. For over 60 years, CRT has been hard at work changing the lives of people we serve, helping them create positive opportunities with long-range impact. We connect individuals and families to the right resources, programs, and services - both our own and that of our partners - to help resolve urgent needs, provide critical support when people are in crisis, and empower people to take the correct steps that will lead to opportunities for success. We foster independence and skill building while guiding individuals, families, and entire communities toward a long-term stable and more successful future. We recognize that participants experience longer-term benefits from a holistic approach to case management. Through our "Steps to Success" case management process, we offer the opportunity to address a wide range of needs and challenges to help participants to build a better future for themselves and their families. Our single-minded determination to help every person who arrives at our door has driven us to encourage systems change. We listen to concerns of our communities throughout Central Connecticut - from Enfield straight down to Long Island Sound. We identify and develop innovative models to offer services to under-served populations and create connections with other community-based providers to augment our diverse range of programs and services, which include: basic needs (energy assistance, financial literacy, food & clothing assistance, housing counseling, SNAP outreach, VITA tax services, weatherization services); children (child nutrition, early childhood education, summer food); health & wellness (behavioral health services (mental health/substance abuse), HIV services, homeless outreach, medication assisted treatment program, re-entry recovery services); housing & shelters (affordable housing, housing placement & supportive services, homeless shelters: East Hartford family shelter, McKinney men's shelter, permanent supportive housing, housing for grandparents raising grandchildren, veterans and seniors); jobs and training (Middlesex youth development, summer youth employment); seniors (community cafes, meals on wheels, The Retreat Assisted Living, retired and senior volunteer program, senior affordable housing); veterans(targeted case management for veterans, supportive services for veteran families). CRT's accountability systems track program outcomes and the impact that these programs have on individual's families, and communities we serve. Monitoring systems are in place to ensure program integrity and transparency. Program Managers along with our Quality Assurance Department conduct regular program audits. Staff training and feedback is provided when needed to regularly improve and enhance our programs and services. In 2024, CRT served 27,667 households and 57,967 individuals throughout Central Connecticut (80% of the households served by CRT's programs and services are between zero and 200% of the Federal Poverty Limit; 26% are single parent households). CRT's core service area covers Hartford, Middlesex, and parts of New Haven County. Many people seek our services in person using our multi-service centers located in Hartford and Middletown. CRT believes that all people have the right to live with dignity and deserve recognition, respect, and reinforcement of their basic worth, along with validation of their cultural and ethnic heritage. Community action changes people's lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and our employees and Board of Trustees are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.
In care of Jeffrey Walsh
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