The city of Hartford will use space inside a former church building near the state Capitol as an emergency winter shelter for the homeless, officials say.
Gov. M. Jodi Rell said the state has offered to the city the use of one floor of the former Second Church of Christ on Lafeyette Street for an emergency shelter for people in need this winter.
Mayor Eddie Perez thanked the state and civic leaders, including The Bushnell’s CEO David Fay, for devising a solution to the city’s need.
The state bought the building with $2.6 million in bond money in December 2007. The nearly century-old two-story building is near the State Supreme Court, the State Office Building on Capitol Avenue and several other state buildings.
The former church is being used for storage and there are plans to allow the Hartford Symphony and other arts and culture groups to use the space, as well, Rell said.
Under its agreement with the state, the city is responsible for all costs of operating the shelter, including utilities, staff and security. The shelter is intended to house individuals from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. through March 31.Â
The city had sought an overflow or “no-freeze” shelter since the Salvation Army recently announced that after nine years it would no longer operate its emergency shelter on Washington and Jefferson Streets, which served 50 to 60 people.
