News & Views

Dear friends, In 2007 the Melville Charitable Trust launched Firebox, a farm-to-table restaurant in the Frog Hollow neighborhood of Hartford. Our vision was to serve extraordinary food and to bring jobs, investment, and opportunity to the community. It is no exaggeration to say that Firebox succeeded far beyond our expectations. A leader in the farm-to-table […]

Dear Friends, The Board of Directors of the Melville Charitable Trust is pleased to announce that after an extensive search it has selected Susan Thomas to be the foundation’s next President, effective January 6, 2020.  As many of you know, Susan is the Trust’s Program Director, leading the foundation’s housing and racial equity efforts for […]

At the Melville Trust, we are committed to incorporating a racial equity lens into all aspects of our work to end homelessness. We pledge to be intentional about calling out, and acting on, racial inequities in our field. We’ve been working to deepen our understanding of racial exclusion and what equitable grant practices look like. […]

What happens when rapid re-housing and workforce development programs join forces?  New jobs, better income, and greater housing stability for families experiencing homelessness. These are just some of the findings from a three-year study of the Secure Jobs (SJ) Connecticut pilot initiative.  SJ was designed to increase the income of homeless families by connecting them […]

Dear Friends, I am writing today to share the news that I will be retiring as Executive Director of the Melville Charitable Trust at the end of 2019, and to let you know that we are launching a search process for our new leader.  I invite you to review the job announcement. We’d appreciate your help […]

Funders are increasingly recognizing that safe, decent, affordable housing as a cornerstone for progress in a variety of other areas. Funders for Housing and Opportunity (FHO) is a compelling example of a collaborative cross-sector funder approach to addressing the affordable housing crisis across the country. In this episode, Susan Thomas, Program Director at the Melville […]

As the leader of a private foundation, I don’t often opine on the operations of federal agencies.  But as the federal government shutdown begins its fifth week, I, like many Americans, feel like screaming out a window à la Peter Finch in the movie “Network.” This shutdown is not just the longest. This one seems squarely aimed […]

Jeff Bezos is investing $2 billion to help families experiencing homelessness. But will it actually help in the long run?

Caitlin Schnur from Heartland Alliance shares some concrete ways for the homeless service system and workforce system to work together to get people housed and employed.

Chapin Hall just released the most comprehensive study on LGBTQ youth homelessness to date. Megan Gibbard Kline, Director of A Way Home America, shares how we can use this new data to change these sobering stats.

[VIDEO] Meet Caitlin and Justin, two of the incredibly creative and compassionate frontline staff of Secure Jobs Connecticut.

We know housing is at the core of ending homelessness. We also know we can’t stop there.

Small, but essential costs—a bus pass, books for a class, tools for an apprenticeship, child care, a decent suit for an interview—can make the difference between being able to prepare for and land a job or remain unemployed.

An inside look into how Connecticut is turning to data to identify the final steps it needs to reach the finish line in its effort to end homelessness.

Kevin Martone, Executive Director of TAC, on the ever-worsening affordability gap for extremely low-income renters with disabilities.

Our statement on Charlottesville.