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by Melinda Tuhus
After suffering for 20 years with deteriorating home foundations, residents of Newhall, just south of Six Lakes, won a decisive victory June 23rd when the Hamden Legislative Council voted to spend an additional $6.4 million to fix their foundations rather than spend the money on a community center in the neighborhood, as Mayor Lauren Garrett had wanted. That’s in addition to $1.7 million that had already been allocated.
The homes were built on wetlands filled in by several parties, including Olin Corporation, which also owns the 102-acre Six Lakes property. Both the neighborhood and Six Lakes were historically contaminated by industrial operations. The land where the homes were built was also used for waste dumping by the Town of Hamden.
The Hamden Newhall Neighborhood Association (HNNA) led the fight, with support from CONECT, Congregations Organized for a New Connecticut.
Tina Jennings-Harriott, president of HNNA, said they faced two challenges: “getting the town to make it a priority, and re-engaging other community members who had been deflated and given up.” A third challenge, she added, was “just living in those conditions.” She said re-engagement led to gaining leverage with the town.
The problems persisted for years, and when Tina spoke to her pastor about her frustration, he put her in touch with CONECT. Organizers from CONECT have pitched in over the past few years to help neighbors collaborate to address issues of common concern. They got two meetings with the mayor, who put in place a plan to have all the properties assessed and also won funding for a drainage project in Newhall. Rev. Caitlin O’Brien of CONECT began to meet with Newhall property owners last summer.
When a community meeting was held in July 2024, many Newhall residents attended, but all as individuals who largely didn’t know each other. After the meeting, they agreed to meet at a local diner to debrief, and one of them brought Caitlin. They also met with Rhonda Caldwell, who represents the Fifth District on Hamden’s Legislative Council.
Tina said, “We were advised that the only way we could win was to organize.” They formed the Hamden Newhall Neighborhood Association, with help from Rhonda and Caitlin.
Eventually, their fight for Foundations First garnered significant media coverage. “That was hugely important,” said Tina. “No one wants bad press. Not only did it light a fire under the Legislative Council, it also sparked interest by other people who had no idea this was going on. It’s been going on for 20 years, and some people are still buying homes without being informed” about the issue of crumbling foundations.
Residents and CONECT members kept up a steady drumbeat, speaking out at the public input portion of almost every Legislative Council meeting. Caitlin said when they learned that foundations would be discussed at an upcoming Council meeting, “We decided to drop off flyers at all 300 homes in the neighborhood inviting them to come.” Different people come out each time. “Because it’s nerve-racking to testify, sometimes we had to remind ourselves to look around the room and introduce ourselves to neighbors who had received our flyer and shown up to the Council meeting. We asked ourselves, ‘How can we use this opportunity to get to know others and draw them into the work of civic engagement?’ That’s really where the power is.”
Tina said she’s very grateful to Caitlin for supporting their efforts, and to CONECT more generally. “I attended a workshop with CONECT on how to organize; it was so empowering,” she said. “I learned so much about myself and how to recognize the power that I have. They presented the work in a way that turned a light on for me. It energized me and made me feel I can do this.”
Now that the funds have been committed, Tina said residents are in the process of having state officials come and inspect the 300 homes that are eligible for assessment and repair. At the same time, the engineers are finishing up assessments on soil and putting together a game plan on how to tackle the problem. First will be to fix water damage. Several homes will be acquired by the town and demolished. “We don’t know which ones,” she noted. “The owners will be compensated but not to the level to afford another home because prices now are astronomical.”
Caitlin said the town is applying for $8 million in state bonding funds. If successful, the town will set up a committee, including neighborhood residents, to guide the work. That would enable all the homes to be repaired.
She added, despite the grim situation, “A silver lining has been people knowing each other in a deeper way and building power as a community.”
And Tina chimed in: “Another outcome is getting a seat at the table for issues affecting us.” |
