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Today, at a press event on the front lawn at 847 Asylum Avenue, Christopher Swift, the CEO of The Hartford Financial Services Group, announced a $1 million contribution to NINA to support our work building affordable homeownership opportunities in Asylum Hill. The Hartford’s funding will be combined with funding from the Capital Region Development Authority and the State Historic Home Rehabilitation Tax Credit program in order to create up to 24 new, affordable, owner-occupied homes in Asylum Hill.
This commitment also celebrates The Hartford’s 100 years in Asylum Hill: in 1920-21, The Hartford built its headquarters under the dome and re-located to the top of the Hill from downtown, and the company has been a steady presence in the neighborhood ever since. The Hartford has partnered with NINA since its formation in 2003, and the initial work to establish NINA emanated from The Hartford’s Office of Corporate Social Responsibility. NINA’s Board of Directors includes Lynda Godkin and Susan Winkler, who worked at The Hartford in 2003 and remain key to NINA’s work to revitalize the neighborhood.
Also in attendance was Luke Bronin, Mayor of Hartford, who celebrated The Hartford’s investment in the Asylum Hill community. Mayor Bronin noted that NINA’s strategy to build affordable owner-occupied homes complemented efforts citywide to add to and improve the city’s housing stock.
The announcement today builds on The Hartford’s longstanding commitment to Asylum Hill. The Hartford established a $10 million, 5-year commitment to Asylum Hill in 2020, with these funds focused on addressing the top priorities of Asylum Hill residents, which included housing stability, job readiness, and greater public safety. This in turn built on The Hartford’s $7 million contribution in 2010, of which $2 million went toward the demolition of the Capitol West Building in Asylum Hill.
NINA is very grateful to The Hartford for this contribution, and we are very excited to work with our partners at The Hartford as we move forward with our homeownership projects in the neighborhood.
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