December 2023 E-Newsletter

MESSAGE FROM JIM HORAN, SENIOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 

2023 has been a momentous year for LISC Connecticut, with new initiatives complementing our core programs, and a growing staff to implement them, joining our dedicated veterans.  This work is described more fully in the reflections that follow.

LISC’s biggest new program is the Early Childhood Facilities Grant Fund, deploying $15 million in federal ARPA funds for construction and renovations for center- and family-based childcare programs. The state Office of Early Childhood awarded the contract to LISC with a focus on adding infant and toddler slots and on building equity.  

LISC also launched a capacity-building initiative for seven community development corporations with Black and Brown leaders. The goal is strengthen these CDCs so that they can attract more funding to fulfill their missions to the neighborhoods and residents they serve.

Meanwhile, LISC launched a second cohort of the Housing & Community Development Leadership Institute (HCDLI), which trains new leaders, primarily women of color, for positions in the field. We’re just starting a third cohort, with another planned for 2024, with support from the Connecticut Department of Housing and CT Housing Finance Authority.

A seventh Financial Opportunity Center, at Person to Person, to serve Stamford residents, built up its capacity, while existing FOCs, including Open Doors, in Norwalk, and the Village for Families & Children, in Hartford, respectively, led the way in placing clients in jobs and building financial stability.

We expanded our community engagement efforts to ensure that we are guided by community voices. LISC convened community leaders in Hartford quarterly, in part to learn about three neighborhood plans by four Hartford CDCs: Mutual Housing Association of Greater Hartford, Sheldon Oak Central, NINA, and SINA. Our AmeriCorps program continues, with a focus on organizations led by people of color, and several AmeriCorps members secured permanent jobs when their service ended.

LISC lent almost $4 million, for three projects in Hartford and one in Falls Village. We learned at the end of the year that our lender extraordinaire, Matt Straub, will leave LISC at the end of 2023 to serve as the Director of Housing for the City of Hartford.  We are sad to lose him, but excited for Matt and the City, and to work with him in his new role.

Fortunately, we attracted talented new staff to implement our programs, including Franches Garay (who focuses on HCDLI), Karahn Green (FOCs), and Liz Fraser and Kadeem Mckoy (childcare facilities). Our Local Advisory Chair early in the year, Mario Florez, moved to a new position in Massachusetts, and was replaced by an equally awesome Chair, Terry Floyd of Wells Fargo. In addition to our dedicated LISC Connecticut Team and Local Advisory Committee members, we could not do this work without our funders, including long-standing support from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and many banks, United Ways, and others.  Thank you all, enjoy the holidays, and look for new initiatives and partnerships to come from LISC in 2024, as we celebrate our 40th Anniversary and develop a new strategic plan for the years ahead.