Every Family. Every Child. Every Time.
Residential Services
 

Residential Services History

Our youth shelter in West Hartford opened in 1978 and has continuously served Hartford-area girls ages 11 to 18 whose lives are in crisis. In 2006, we converted our youth shelter to the Department of Children and Families' STAR model, a Short-Term Assessment and Respite home. STAR homes provide clinical and assessment services in a small, structured, home-like setting. We currently have three STAR homes; Hartford and Wolcott houses boys while the West Hartford location serve girls.

In 1988, we created the Independent Living Programs, to help older teens develop a high level of self-sufficiency as they transition from dependent to independent living. These programs are overseen by our program director, Bryan Block. The three programs include:

Community Based Life Skills - a year-long program for adolescents in the DCF system of care to help them gain independence.

Community Housing Assistance Program (CHAP) - begun in 1996, this program consists of supervised scattered site apartments for DCF committed youth 18 years and older to provide support and guidance in their final steps toward independence.

In 1998, we began our Moving On Project, a transitional living apartment program in Manchester (originally in Hartford) to assist young men ages 16 to 21 in developing skills to live independently.

In early 2006, we opened Eleanor House in Hartford. This shelter was a community-based, therapeutic group home for boys ages 13 to 18. Trauma-informed and relational in its approach, our special group home model emphasized the healing power of relationships. Whether a resident was with us for a brief or extended stay, our ideology remained that authentic and respectful human connections could be transformative. Eleanor House closed in 2021.

In fiscal year 2023, over 100 teenagers and young adults received assistance from our residential programs.

 

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