2010 Annual Report

Hartford

Preserving and Investing in the Physical Environment

Direct project investments continue to be a critical component of our efforts to revitalize Hartford neighborhoods. New investment over the past three years includes $2.6 million in grants and loans, and $8.8 million in equity from LISC’s affiliate, National Equity Fund (NEF). The investment will support the creation and preservation of 105 affordable homes that are strategic investments in five Hartford neighborhoods. Hartford LISC promotes the preservation of affordable housing by supporting the refinance and rehabilitation of rental housing.

Building Family Assets through Homeownership

Increasing and preserving homeownership is a major priority for the Hartford LISC program. This strategy is important to Hartford because of the city’s low homeownership rate (24 percent) and the need to attract and encourage investment. By promoting block-wide development, restoration of historic assets and homebuyer education, Hartford LISC has supported the development of over 200 homeownership units in strategic locations across the city. These homes offer families a way to build assets and prepare for the future. With continued access to homebuyer education, these families have been successful in purchasing and maintaining their homes for long-term investment.

Improving Access to Quality Early Education

The Connecticut Children’s Investment Partnership works in tandem with LISC’s national Community Investment Collaborative for Kids (CICK) as a leader in the provision of training, technical assistance and flexible financing for the development of quality child care centers that serve low-income children across Connecticut. Recent accomplishments in Hartford include the completion of El Paraiso Infantil, a new child care center run by Catholic Charities’ Institute for Hispanic Family and the construction of the Women’s League Child Development Center. LISC provided recoverable grants and technical assistance for each development.

Advancing Comprehensive Revitalization

Moving to address the multiple components of a healthy neighborhood, Hartford LISC and the Hartford Neighborhood Development Support Collaborative have supported the neighborhood planning work of three community development corporations (CDCs) with consultant services, grants and technical assistance. These plans identified target areas, analyzed neighborhood conditions and identified key partners. Through the planning process, CDCs were able to define their project pipelines and connect their work with a broader range of community stakeholders.