above: Official ribbon cutting at Gillespie Center with Governor Ned Lamont, First Selectwoman Jen Tooker, Homes with Hope CEO Helen McAlinden, Commissioner of the Department of Housing, Seila Mosquera-Bruno and many others.
Last month, Westport’s Homes with Hope celebrated the grand reopening of its newly renovated emergency shelter, the Gillespie Center and Hoskins Place, in the heart of downtown Westport. This milestone highlights the town’s ongoing commitment to addressing homelessness and food insecurity. Over the past year, the Town of Westport and Homes with Hope received three grants from the Department of Housing, totaling more than $10.2 million, as part of Connecticut’s broader initiative to combat the homelessness crisis and support affordable housing in Westport. A percentage of the funds enabled significant upgrades to the Gillespie Center, enhancing its infrastructure, kitchen facilities and food pantry. As a result, the center is now more client-centered, welcoming and fully compliant with ADA standards, ensuring it better serves both clients and volunteers. These improvements reinforce Westport’s dedication to supporting its most vulnerable residents.
The event also spotlighted the renovations at Susie’s House, a key component of the three projects funded by the Department of Housing under this large grant. Susie’s House is a Single Room Occupancy (SRO) home for six at-risk or homeless women aged 18 to 26, referred through Connecticut State College Norwalk, Westport Social Services and the Coordinated Access Network. This innovative, one-of-a-kind pilot program aims to address the unique needs of young women at risk of homelessness, and the Town of Westport, the State of Connecticut’s Department of Housing and Homes with Hope are proud to be pioneering this important initiative. Both the Gillespie Center and Susie’s House have been allied to Homes with Hope to provide essential services to the community’s most vulnerable.
Notably, Susie’s House is the first-ever building deed-restricted by a town to house the homeless, marking a historic step in Westport’s commitment to addressing housing insecurity.
Homes with Hope President and CEO, Helen McAlinden, hosted the event and expressed heartfelt gratitude for the support of the Department of Housing, the Town of Westport and the local community. She commented that we have the best Commissioner of Housing ever who is committed to making sure housing is within reach for everyone in Connecticut and commented that the governor made a good choice when choosing Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera Bruno.
Helen also emphasized that Westport’s Homeless Emergency Shelter continues to serve as a model for the state, providing essential housing and food services to those in need, not just in Westport but from throughout Fairfield County.
State and local officials, including Gov. Ned Lamont, Connecticut Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno, Westport First Selectwoman Jen Tooker, Selectwoman Andrea Moore, Candace Savin, State Representative Jonathan Steinberg, State Senator Ceci Maher, Homes with Hope Co-Founder and former Director Peter Powell, Human Services Director Elaine Daignault, Becky Martin, Homes with Hope’s Board Co-Chair, and Sarah Fox, CEO of The Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness also attended.
Gov. Lamont commended Westport’s proactive approach, stating, “Westport leads by example. I encourage the leadership of the Town of Westport and Homes with Hope to continue spreading the word, as this model should be replicated across the U.S.”
First Selectwoman Tooker expressed pride in the collaborative efforts that brought the project to life, noting the teamwork of multiple town Departments, including Westport’s Human Services and Building Committee, Homes with Hope and the Department of Housing. She emphasized that the renovations reflect Westport’s ongoing commitment to ensuring its most vulnerable residents have access to vital services.
The Gillespie Center, established in 1984 (formerly known as Interfaith Housing), has long served as a refuge for men and women experiencing homelessness. Over the years, the facility has evolved to provide not only shelter but also essential support services. The newly renovated center now accommodates 15 male residents (Gillespie Center) and 4 female residents (Hoskins Place), while expanding its resources to the community with a larger food pantry.
The renovations have greatly improved privacy, accessibility, and overall services. The redesign includes separate entrances for the shelter and food pantry, as well as ADA-compliant upgrades, such as wider hallways and bathrooms to accommodate wheelchairs. The shelter now features new furnishings and appliances, including upgraded kitchen and laundry facilities. The expanded food pantry includes refrigeration units to offer fresh produce, dairy and meats, as well as personal care and hygiene items. A new dumbwaiter has been added to improve donation collection and make food more accessible to those with disabilities.
The emergency shelter renovations were completed just in time to offer critical support to those seeking shelter from the cold. The facility reached full capacity within days of reopening, many coming directly from the streets, living in cars, other overcapacity shelters, and sleeping at the local train stations, yet more than 910 individuals remained on the shelter waitlist in Connecticut.
Helen McAlinden remarked that homelessness is often viewed as an issue for inner cities, with small suburban towns typically not seeing it as their problem and not taking as solution-driven an approach as Westport. She emphasized that if every affluent town in Connecticut followed Westport’s example, the homeless crisis would not be as severe. Gov. Lamont applauded these efforts and agreed with the statement, emphasizing that Westport’s proactive approach should be a model for other communities.
The Westport community continues to show amazing support for the shelter, with local families, organizations and clubs providing meals, organizing food drives, and several supermarkets making weekly donations to restock the pantry.Westport sure is a special community!
To learn more about how you can support Homes with Hope and the Gillespie Center, visit hwhct.org.