The Open Hearth, Inc., a nonprofit organization nestled near the western banks of the Connecticut in downtown Hartford, has been a respected community resource since its founding in the 1880s, when a group of business, religious and community leaders began what has evolved into an innovative residential living program for homeless and addicted men in recovery from Connecticut and Southern New England.
The humble beginnings of The Open Hearth came in 1884, when Hartford's Christ Church Cathedral started the mission in the old Kilbourn Mansion at 135 Front Street to help men, who for various reasons, were "down and out." The Mission moved in 1902 into larger quarters at 73 Grove Street, then known as the Silas Deane Mansion.
In 1927, The Open Hearth was moved to its present location at
437 Sheldon Street. Prior to its role as a Mission, the building was a saloon and rooming house. Another story was added to the existing structure in 1952, and named Catlin Dormitory after Robert I. Catlin, who served as president of the Mission for 40 years. The building underwent a major renovation in 1990, enabling The Open Hearth to continue in its mission to "help men help themselves."
Today, the agency offers a model of care, including a traditional emergency shelter, transitional living program, single room accommodations, and home ownership program. It operates a wood products business, which serves as a work therapy component for the organization and supplies firewood to more than 1,500 individuals and restaurants. The Open Hearth is governed by a Board of Trustees, an entity of knowledgeable, experienced volunteers which ensures that the organization maintains the highest levels of governance, services and financial accountability. The agency employs more than 30 part- and full-time staff.
Kilbourn Mansion
135 Front Street, Hartford
(1884-1902)
Silas Deane Mansion
73 Grove Street, Hartford
(1902-1927)
The Open Hearth Mission
437 Sheldon Street, Hartford
(1927-present)
The Open Hearth conducts a comprehensive continuum of
care service model in a traditional emergency shelter that
accommodates 25 adult men and an 84-bed Transitional
Living Program. Annually, we serve hundreds of men
in both programs and provide over 120,000 meals.
Clients arrive at The Open Hearth generally through
referrals from other community agencies, such as
shelters and treatment centers, or through
contractual partnerships with the Connecticut
Department of Correction and Connecticut
Department of Social Services.
EMERGENCY SHELTER
Mental illness, job loss, divorce, addiction or
unanticipated catastrophe. Any of these factors
can force someone into homelessness. Overnight
guests in The Open Hearth's traditional emergency
shelter receive relief from the elements with a warm,
comfortable bed, hot shower, nutritious meals, and
access to a counselor who can provide information on
community resources and agency programs -- the very basics
to ensure that men can lead dignified lives. Guests must be at
least 18 years old and typical stays last about two weeks. In many cases, guests are evaluated and admitted to the agency's Transitional Living Program. The Open Hearth's shelter is the oldest continuously-operating facility of its kind on the East Coast.
TRANSITIONAL LIVING PROGRAM
The road to independence from homelessness and addiction requires more than shelter and food. Residents in our Transitional Living Program receive support for addiction recovery, educational deficiencies, life skills, spiritual enrichment and career planning. Participants are expected to pursue educational opportunities or work in order to contribute to program costs, while saving a portion of their earnings. We offer a safe haven and respite from living on the streets, a hardship that can be both dehumanizing and dangerous. The program includes a single-room occupancy floor for men who are advancing in recovery. Through consistent support from our caring, professional staff, many men (and their families) are achieving success over difficult challenges in their lives.
ONE MAN'S STORY
For more information on homelessness, click here for the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness.
PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
For more information on substance abuse, click here for the Connecticut Governor's Prevention Partnership.
HOME OWNERSHIP PROGRAM (HOP)
The Open Hearth's Home Ownership Program (HOP) serves as a bridge to independent living by enabling residents in the Transitional Living Program to become homeowners in the Hartford community.
HOP candidates enter the program as renters,
occupying units owned and renovated by The
Open Hearth. They are progressing in recovery
and regularly attend support group meetings.
These men receive budgeting assistance and
have savings of $1,000 or more. Candidates
are employed full-time with sufficient income to
pay monthly rent and utilities.
Once they are recommended for purchasing a
condominium, HOP candidates will pay a
program fee to earn credit for 30 months. They
participate in the renovation of their unit, earning
"sweat equity" for their efforts. Agency policy requires that men in this program remain in recovery or regain remission during the 30-month period. The condominiums are sold at a price below market value to HOP participants.
The Open Hearth owns condominium units in several Hartford locations, including Colt Estates
WOOD PRODUCTS WORK THERAPY BUSINESS
Since its earliest days, The Open Hearth has owned and operated a Wood Products social venture, which cuts firewood year-round and sells it to restaurants and residents in Greater Hartford. The operation boasts about 1,500 active
customers at its peak season in the fall and winter
For information on admission to the Emergency Shelter, contact Joanne McLaughlin at 860.525.3447, ext. 115, or via email. To learn more about the Transitional Living Program, call Helena Talarczyk at 860.525.3447, ext. 108, or email. Inquiries about our partnership with the Connecticut Department of Correction should be directed to Gerald Roberson at 860.525.3447, ext. 117, or via email.
The Open Hearth's wood products business was spotlighted in a feature story on alternatives to high heating costs in The New York Times on December 11, 2005.
Some of The Open Hearth's "Partners in Service" include:
H E L P I N G M E N I N G R E A T E R H A R T F O R D H E L P T H E M S E L V E S . S I N C E 1 8 8 4 .
The first home purchase by a HOP graduate occurred in December 2005, and the agency has a handful of candidates poised for ownership within the next 12-24 months. Click here to read about and view pictures of the HOP Ceremony, held in March 2006, to recognize the first home purchase. Click here to read an article about HOP featured in the March 20, 2006, edition of the Hartford Business Journal. We are proud of our accomplishments with this commendable program.
Click here to view our new Home Ownership Program streaming video (6:30 length)
(click here or on the logo to download Windows Media Player10 for free)
CCEH
Acclaim for The Open Hearth
Gov. Jodi Rell
State of CT
"The Open Hearth helps individuals who have had unfortunate occurrences in their lives by giving them an opportunity for a second chance."
"It is inspiring to learn that The Open Hearth is having a measurable degree of success in effecting change in Greater Hartford."
Hon. Marie Kirkley-Bey
Deputy Spkr., CT House
Representative, Fifth Dist.
Mr. Oz Griebel
President / CEO
MetroHartford Alliance
"The Open Hearth
truly exemplifies
the power of
partnership. I
urge corporate,
religious and
civic leaders
to continue
to support
this laudable
effort and make The Open Hearth an even greater success in Connecticut."
- March 23, 2006
Care to support one of Hartford's oldest and most fiscally sound charities?
Residents of The Open Hearth work in the Wood Products business during their first two weeks at the facility, and then volunteer regularly as a component to their recovery plan and as an avenue to give back to the program. The business offers men valuable work experience and helps them develop critical interpersonal skills and a sense of accomplishment.
This message was given at The Open Hearth's First Annual Overcomer Breakfast with Pat Summerall on April 19, 2007, at the Hartford Marriott Downtown.
My name is Alex M. and I grew up in Newington, Conn., in a close family environment with my two sisters. My dad owned a small neighborhood grocery in Hartford, where I helped out starting at age 10. It provided us with a comfortable, but not lavish life. I entered Norwich University, a military college in Vermont, in 1966 and graduated in 1970 with an electrical engineering degree and commissioning as a second lieutenant in the Army. After working with an engineering firm for a year, I was called to active duty. After some wartime officer schooling in Georgia and a brief stint in Vietnam, I landed at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, where I was
stationed for the remainder of my active duty requirement. All plans of returning to Connecticut after my discharge were abandoned when Patricia came into my life. Not wanting to part with her, I elected to remain in New Jersey and, in the mid-1970s, started from scratch a floor covering business that evolved into a dominant operation in central New Jersey from the early '80s to the mid '90s.
During that time, our family defined the American dream. The business that I started with a van, pail of glue and hard work grew exponentially and rewarded us very handsomely. We owned our home and a summer cottage, sent our children to private schools, spent quality time as a family, traveled the world, and in short ... wanted for nothing.
Our Camelot abruptly ended in March 1998, when tragedy struck our family. In the fallout that reigned over us, I lost everything, our oldest daughter became a widow at 25 years of age, and my wife and I became parents to our infant grandchildren. My family would no longer enjoy the lifestyle we worked so hard to attain. The pressure was overwhelming and after 27 years of marriage, Patricia and I divorced. I fell into depression lasting for four years and as a result of my actions during this horrible period, I landed in jail for four-and-one-half years.
I cannot possibly convey the feeling of hopelessness, helplessness and despair that one goes through when a fall like this happens. After countless nights of tears and torture, the first thing I did was accept responsibility for what I had done and began to chase depression and misery from my life, which was not an easy thing to do in a county jail. I started attending church again after a 40-year hiatus and this helped me tremendously. I secured a spot on the jail's painting crew and eventually transferred to another correctional facility where I became editor of the prison's newspaper and completed a certificate in AutoCAD. I was doing okay for myself considering that I had no previous experience with this lifestyle.
In October 2005, Patricia (no longer my legal wife, but my best friend forever) was diagnosed with breast cancer. What should have been a routine procedure for a lump turned out to be a complete mastectomy followed by eighteen grueling months of chemotherapy and radiation. All I could do was pray for her and write my words of support to her regularly because I was still incarcerated and would be through early 2007.
But what would I do if I were out? Where would I go for a job at my age after jail? How do I start out from square one when I already virtually retired once? The questions haunted me knowing that one day freedom would come and I would have to answer these questions definitively. It was scary. I knew no one in Connecticut since my professional life was spent in New Jersey.
One day I spoke with a Department of Correction counselor who was
acqainted with my hard work while incarcerated. He also knew I was
a "first timer" in jail and he personally felt that my time served had been
excessive. His closing statement in that meeting was, "I'll make a
call to a place that I know can help you." His call changed my life
because he called The Open Hearth. He explained my situation and I
discharged from jail earlier than expected and enrolled in the agency's
Transitional Living Program.
I learned that The Open Hearth will give limitless support to any man
who is willing to help himself. You can't imagine how much that means
to a man in a desperate situation like I was in. I was able to search for
work without fear of eviction for nonpayment of rent. I never had to worry
about from where my next meal would come. I was given a voucher for clothing for interviews. My laundry was even cleaned on a regular basis. This may sound like petty stuff, but when you have nothing, it is reassuring to know that you don't have to sleep under a bridge tonight. The programs offered by The Open Hearth are widespread because they look at the individual to nurture the skills that he possesses in order to help him rebuild his life.
But this is not a free ride. Our counselors hold us accountable to our responsibilities just like real life does because that is what The Open Hearth is preparing its men for. Life on life's terms. None of this would be possible without strong community support. The transition from jail to real life is overwhelming. Without programs offered by organizations like The Open Hearth, many are destined to fail. The recidivism rate for people trying to matriculate without help reflects this.
I am now employed in a responsible job where I interact with city officials, company leaders and homeowners who have no idea where I've come from or what I've been through. This kind of transformation is due to The Open Hearth and your generous support of its mission to "help men who want to help themselves." Thank you.
The Open Hearth will give limitless support to any man willing to help himself
