Community organizers from the Christian Activities Council (CAC) visited with over 30 residents displaced from a fire which gutted their Vine Street apartment building in late July 2015. What the organizers found were residents facing imminent homelessness after a short two week stay at the Super 8 Motel in Hartford.
CAC’s organizers were sure this was just a clerical error and more support would be coming for these residents, but we were told by the City of Hartford that they had to find a place to sleep at one of Hartford’s homeless shelters using the 211 system. This was unacceptable, so CAC worked with residents and learned about the Relocation Assistance Act from Greater Hartford Legal Aid who had an active class action lawsuit against the City for their failure to administer this relocation program.
Even after reminding the City of their legal obligation to relocate these residents, they refused to do so forcing CAC and the residents to hold a public action on August 7th where, under the pressure of the public, the City agreed to keep residents housed and provide additional relocation assistance until every resident was relocated.
After that experience, residents knew it was important to support Legal Aid’s effort to secure improvements in the relocation program and financial restitution for those whose lives had been turned upside down by the failure of the City to administer this important law. Many Vine street residents and CAC staff testified in court in support of Legal Aid’s case, which they won.
The City has been ordered to pay $6.25 million dollars to 1,690 Hartford families who did not receive the relocation assistance they were entitled to under the law, according to the Hartford Courant. Congratulation to Greater Hartford Legal Aid in their important victory and to the residents who fought hard for this win!
