Homeless Hospitality Center Opens New Shelter This Week

A Press Release from HHC

The Homeless Hospitality Center will dedicate its new shelter and daytime hospitality center at 730 State Pier Road on Wednesday, Oct. 16.

There will be an open house from 4 to 6 p.m. with a speaking program starting between 4:30 and 4:45 p.m. The event is open to the public, along with state and local officials, foundation supporters, donors, current and former guests of the hospitality center, and a broad range of volunteers and professionals who work with homeless individuals.

The new site, with support from the state of Connecticut as well as 30 foundations and individuals, will offer comprehensive services – including health care, counseling referrals and housing assistance – in one place. This is a national model for addressing homelessness in a compassionate and cost-effective way.

The Homeless Hospitality Center’s current shelter is at St. James Episcopal Church and the daytime hospitality center is at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation, both in downtown New London. They will close with the opening of the new site, which is a quarter of a mile to the north at the former Saints Peter & Paul Polish National Catholic Church.

After the speaking program, the former rectory (now HHC’s offices) will be dedicated to Father Emmett Jarrett with the unveiling of a plaque honoring the Frank Loomis Palmer Fund. Father Jarrett’s estate and the Palmer Fund are two of the largest supporters of the project.

The New London Homeless Hospitality Center was founded in 2006 under the leadership of Father Emmett Jarrett after the death of several homeless individuals locally. The center is the safety net for individuals with nowhere to go. Hospitality is the foundation of everything the organization does. The homeless individuals who stay there are considered guests, not clients.  

Last year, the Homeless Hospitality Center provided almost 19,000 nights of shelter. The center serves only adults, many of whom face substantial challenges – including substance abuse and long-term unemployment – to finding housing. 

The center seeks to build relationships and help individuals chart a path out of homelessness. The daytime hospitality center provides a place where guests can talk with counselors, get referrals to services, look for housing, and check their email during the day. On a typical day, 100 people visit the center. The Homeless Hospitality Center also offers transitional housing as well as two houses with affordable rents.