A homeless shelter that is the first-of-its-kind in Connecticut recently opened in south Hartford.
The McKinney, an 80-bed shelter on Brainard Road, opened up at the former Days Inn hotel. It is the first shelter in Connecticut to open in a converted hotel.
The shelter is run by the nonprofit Community Renewal Team (CRT).
Peter Kouloganes moved into The McKinney in August. Kouloganes fell into homelessness after losing his savings to pay for lifesaving cancer treatment.
“The respect and the dignity and the sense of hope that I got back, it came back when I came back here, because I literally had lost all of that,” Koulgoanes said. “I was literally at the point where it logically did not make sense for me to continue living. I was looking at it from that perspective, and I had walked into those doors that way.”
The biggest change since moving into the shelter is the ability to plan for his future, Kouloganes said.
“I led my life with goal structure, three months, six months a year, three years, five years,” Kouloganes said. “I haven't been able to do that for over a decade, for varied reasons. I'm able to do that now.”
The shelter will provide more than just a place to sleep, the nonprofit’s president and chief executive officer Lena Rodriguez said.
“These services include on site — and I repeat, on site — behavioral health services, case management services, housing readiness, employment and training, GED training and more,” Rodriguez said.
On-site services also include medical and behavioral health staff, Rodriguez said.
The McKinney shelter has been around for more than 30 years, but recently moved to the former Days Inn site.
“Our innovative facility offers a safe environment where individuals can build their lives with a sense of dignity and respect,” Rodriguez said. “The McKinney isn't just about providing a bed, it's about empowering individuals to be the best they can be by supporting them with comprehensive wrap-around services.”
The shelter is already at capacity, and has no time restrictions for residents. Rather, the shelter bases a rehabilitative timeline around each resident’s needs, CRT Senior Vice President Christopher McCluskey said.
The facility has private offices to meet with clients, a computer lab equipped for housing and employment searches and space for group counseling sessions and workshops.
Renovations and property acquisition cost about $5.1 million in state funding, and another $700,000 was put toward operation, state Department of Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno said.
“We can’t have different results if we keep doing the same thing. So it is time to make that change,” Mosquera-Bruno said. “If somebody is in need and cannot be in an apartment, or getting the services, having trouble, having to take a bus, how can we expect that these individuals can really make better for themselves? This space is providing the services right here, being able to have a space on your own.”
