2025 Spring HomeFront Day
MEDIA CONTACT:
Sean O’Brien, HomeFront
O: (203) 658-9664 C: (203) 803-9772
sobrien@homefrontprogram.org
Upwards of 600 Local Volunteers Ready to Repair 19 Homes and One Community Center for Free in Danbury, Darien, East Hartford, Enfield, Fairfield, Greenwich, Kensington, Milford, New Fairfield, Newtown, Norwalk, Oxford, Plantsville, Ridgefield, Rocky Hill, Seymour, Southbury, Stamford & Watertown
Connecticut — April 29 — Starting Sat., May 3rd, 600 local neighbors of all ages and from all walks of life are banding together to revitalize 20 properties in need across 19 cities this Spring—all at no cost to the recipients. Older adults on fixed incomes, veterans, persons with disabilities, single-parent households and other low-income families are at the heart of their focus.
Volunteer leaders from faith communities, civic groups and corporations have spent months planning this outpouring with HomeFront. These 36th annual Spring HomeFront Days are a key step in the program’s goal to deliver safer and healthier living conditions to 90 local families this year. In addition to the dedicated helpers, this life-changing service is made possible by grants, individual donations and volunteer sponsorships. [Photo, B-roll and interview opportunities are available with beneficiaries and volunteer leaders at “Media Welcome” locations listed below.]
“We are proud to team up with every segment of the community and become part of the housing solution,” said HomeFront’s Board Chair, Kenneth Wiegand.
These good works take place in a state where 40% of CT residents report struggling with making ends meet, according to Data Haven and United Way. The Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness underscores what is at stake amid a 13% rise in homelessness, particularly among employed residents who cannot afford housing. For those who have built up our communities, the Connecticut Chapter of the American Association of Retired People finds that 55% of older adults express concern about being able to afford to age in place. The impact of these repairs extends beyond individual households. Research shows that repairing even one home on a block can lead to a nearly 22% decrease in total crime in that area. Improvements to a single home help strengthen entire neighborhoods, stabilize communities, and foster pride among residents.
Today’s HomeFront organizes Spring and Fall volunteer home repair group events. The program has also ratcheted up assistance with its new initiative called Critical Pro Repair (CPR). Through CPR, skilled HomeFront staff team up with one or two skilled volunteers to deliver crucial repairs such as wheelchair ramps, step and walkway overhauls and deck repairs to struggling families. More than 100 local families have received essential construction aid from HomeFront through CPR since 2020.
The collective compassion of hands-on volunteers, product contributors, foundations and other donors brings HomeFront to the mark of more than 3,200 homes revitalized in program history, delivering $50 million of service where needed most since 1988. HomeFront is a community-based program dedicated to keeping low-income homeowners in their homes with an improved quality of life through substantial repairs completed at no cost to them. More information on HomeFront can be found online at www.homefrontprogram.org.
##
PARTICIPATING LOCAL VOLUNTEER GROUPS
Corporate
Hometown Hero Level
FactSet Research Systems, Norwalk
Civic
Greenwich Association of Realtors
Newtown Lions Teams I & II
Team Up, Danbury
Faith-Based
Holy Disciples Parish, Watertown
North American Martyrs Parish Teams I & II, East Hartford
Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish, Stamford
Southbury Faith in Action (SOFIA)
St. Edward the Confessor Parish, New Fairfield
St. Josephine Bakhita Parish, Rocky Hill
St. Luke’s Parish, Darien
St. Paul Parish of Kensington
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Fairfield
St. Raphael’s Parish, Milford
St. Jeanne Jugan Parish Teams I, II & III, Enfield
St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Oxford
MAJOR SPONSORS
Presenting Sponsor
Connecticut Department of Housing
Program Benefactor
Connecticut Department of Economic Community Development
Community Leader Level
The John H. & Ethel G. Noble Charitable Trust, New York, NY
The Mithun Family Foundation, Minneapolis, MN
The Norbert H. Hardner Foundation, Amherst, NH
Housing Partner Level
Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, IOREBTA
Twenty-Seven Foundation, Glastonbury
Good Neighbor Level
City of Norwalk — Redevelopment Office
Connecticut Community Foundation, Waterbury
Near & Far Aid, Southport
St. John’s Community Foundation, Stamford
The Ridgefield Thrift Shop
The Goodnow Fund, Darien
The Katharine Matthies Foundation, Seymour
The Office for Catholic Social Justice of the Archdiocese of Hartford, Bloomfield
Webster Bank, Waterbury
Woodward Foundation, Watertown
Project Builder Level
First County Bank Foundation, Stamford
Herbert & Nell Singer Foundation, Wilmington, DE
NewAlliance Foundation, New Haven
Other Major Sponsors
Auer Family Foundation, Calabasas, CA
Downey Family Foundation, Westport
Savings Bank of Danbury
Thomaston Savings Bank Foundation
PRODUCT & SERVICE CONTRIBUTORS
Ace Hardware, Bethel — building supplies
Allway Tools, Bronx, NY — tools
Behr Paint, Santa Anna, CA — paint
Classic Tile, Rockaway, NJ — flooring tile
DAP Products, Baltimore, MD — caulk
H.J. Hoffman & Co., Norwalk — screenprinting
Mark Johnson, Brookfield, CT — well drilling services
MARVIN of Enfield — replacement windows
Mary pat Design, Shelton — graphic design
Mercury Excelum, East Windsor — windows
Pro Bono Partnership, NY & Fairfield County — non-profit legal assistance
Ring’s End, Bethel — doors and construction materials
The Home Depot, Danbury — building materials
Wooster Brush Co, Wooster, OH — paint sundries