$4.3 Million Passes at CIF Board Meeting for New Haven

Funding to support recreation, child care, community health, and green space across the city

HARTFORD—Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, Senator Gary Winfield, and State Representatives Pat Dillon, Roland Lemar, Juan Candelaria, Al Paolillo, Steve Winter, and Toni Walker today announced that five New Haven projects received a combined $4.3 million in state funding through Round 8 of the Community Investment Fund 2030 at the recent CIF board meeting.

Senator Looney serves as co-chair of the 21-member CIF Board which was created by the Connecticut General Assembly to direct state bond funding to municipalities and nonprofits for community development, housing, health services, and economic revitalization projects.

The funded projects are:

• Albertus Magnus College will receive $500,000 to modernize its Recreation and Swimming Center, upgrading facilities that serve students and the surrounding New Haven community.
• The City of New Haven will receive $250,000 for planning of Mill River Park at Ball Island, advancing green space and waterfront access in the city.
• Friends Center for Children, Inc. will receive $2 million to expand its Flint Street Campus, supporting the organization’s early childhood education and child care programs serving New Haven families.
• Leadership, Education, and Athletics in Partnership, Inc. (LEAP) will receive $1.3 million to renovate the Roslyn M. Meyer Community Center, a cornerstone youth development facility in the city.
• Leeway, Inc. will receive $250,000 for planning to advance integrated care and housing for individuals with disabilities in New Haven.

“These investments reflect the exact mission that the Community Investment Fund was created to address,” said Senator Looney. “These meaningful resources will support organizations and institutions that anchor our neighborhoods and serve our most vulnerable residents. From early childhood education at the Friends Center to youth development at LEAP to expanded housing and care options through Leeway, these projects strengthen the fabric of New Haven. I am proud to lead passage of these items as co-Chair and grateful to my colleagues on the CIF Board for their partnership in delivering this funding.”

“The Community Investment Fund exists to direct resources to the places and people who need them most, and this round of funding does exactly that,” said Senator Gary Winfield. “Early childhood education, youth development, green space, expanded care for individuals with disabilities: these are not abstractions. They are the foundations on which families build their lives and on which communities sustain themselves. I am proud to support these investments in New Haven and grateful to my colleagues on the CIF Board for their commitment to this work.”

“These funds make significant improvements for our students and childcare providers, help provide housing for those that need it most, and upgrade our local parks,” Rep. Juan Candelaria said. “Thank you to the CIF for their approval of these funds, and to my legislative colleagues for their continued advocacy for New Haven.”

“Investing in New Haven means investing in the heart of our community. These funds will empower critical projects in housing, health services, and economic revitalization, ensuring that every resident has the opportunity to thrive. I’m proud to support initiatives that strengthen our neighborhoods and create a brighter, more equitable future for all,” said Rep. Roland Lemar.

“Thank you to the Community Investment Fund, Senator Looney, and the New Haven delegation for believing in these projects, including the funding to expand the Friends Center for Children’s Flint Street campus, the modernization of the recreation and swimming center at Albertus Magnus, and the funds to renovate the Roslyn M. Meyer Community Center,” said Rep. Paolillo. “These projects will directly benefit the children, youth, and families of New Haven, as well as other projects approved that will benefit open space at Mill River Park and Integrated Care and Housing for individuals with disabilities with Leeway, Inc.”

“I would like to thank Senator Looney and the CIF Board for their continued leadership and commitment to funding important priorities in New Haven. Their support for initiatives that strengthen our community, particularly those focused on childcare and youth development, is critical to ensuring that families have the resources they need and that young people have opportunities to learn, grow, and succeed,” Rep. Winter said.