Making Connections in Hartford
Strengthening families and the neighborhoods they live in

Mobilizing the caring power of the community…

United Way of the Capital Area, through Community Investment, is a partner with the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) in the Hartford Making Connections initiative. Making Connections, a national initiative of AECF, is committed to improving the lives of children by strengthening families and their neighborhoods. Hartford is one of 10 cities in the United States that is receiving 10 to 15 years of funding and technical assistance from AECF to support the Making Connections initiative.

… to create sustained community changes …

Recently the Hartford Making Connections initiative published The High Cost of Being Poor in Hartford study, which reveals the challenges faced by Hartford’s poor in getting ahead and saving for the future. The report will be used by local nonprofit organizations and policy makers to reduce poverty in the city. To aid those efforts, Making Connections has helped set up www.HartfordInfo.org, which provides a wealth of data and reports about housing, education, neighborhood initiatives, and employment in the city.

… and improve lives.

To increase families’ income and savings, current efforts underway include the possible development of a locally-managed community credit union, which will provide residents with access to fee-free banking. Hartford Making Connections is also working to increase the number of Hartford residents that receive the Earned Income and Child Tax Credits, participate in financial education programs and enroll in Individual Development Accounts (which help individuals save for education or a house). To strengthen social networks and help individuals recognize their strengths, a Time Dollar initiative is also planned. Time Dollar builds community by establishing a network of friends and neighbors who volunteer their time and talents and who, in turn, tap into this network for services they might need.

Through United Way’s Community Investment and its partners, neighborhoods and families in Hartford are stronger. Community Investment is the pool of undesignated dollars donated through the United Way Community Campaign. In addition to the Hartford Making Connections initiative, United Way’s Community Investment supports other local programs that improve the lives of children and their families and strengthen communities, such as:

• Connecticut Policy and Economic Council’s City Scan program,

• Mi Casa’s cultural programs, and

• Prevent Child Abuse Connecticut’s parental education programs.