Housing Authority Lands
​“All-American City” Award

You could call it ​“All-American” the way New Haven’s housing authority works with other groups in town to help kids learn and get support when school doors are closed.

The National League of Cities called it that. It has named New Haven one of its 10 ​“All-American cities” this year base on the ​“ECC Believes” program the housing authority runs.

The housing authority represented the city at an awards event to accept the award.

Under ECC Believes, the Housing Authority of New Haven — which also goes by the name Elm City Communities (ECC) — coordinates with 26 other organizations around town (including eight city government departments) to run programs based in public housing developments that offer ​“positive social-emotional and educational development geared toward developing self-sufficient adults.”

In other words, they give kids stuff today outside of school to help them with both academics and general support, right where they live. The programs fall into categories including ​“Early Childhood Education,” ​“Attendance and School Engagement,” ​“Academic Support,” ​“Career and College Readiness,” ​“Parent Engagement.”

That’s all a big deal considering: a) the struggles kids have been having before, and even more since the onset of, the pandemic; b) the fact that a third of all public-school children in New Haven live in public housing. Under ECC Believes, the housing authority coordinated extra food distribution, summer youth, parent-training, and virtual-learning efforts during the pandemic. (Click here to read about one such effort.)

“We’re so proud in the Elm City of the way we wrap around our young people for their academic success,” stated the housing authority’s executive director, Karen DuBois-Walton. ​“We are so thrilled to accept this award as an acknowledgment of the vital and necessary work happening across the city to support our young people.”