News & Events

Family

Residents Urged to Apply for Child Tax Credit

The Lamont administration came to New London on Tuesday as part of its statewide child tax credit media tour. Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and state Rep. Sean Scanlon, D-Guilford, a co-chair of the state legislature’s finance committee, along with Rep. Anthony Nolan, D-New London, New London Mayor Michael Passero and members of the Thames Valley Council for Community Action, or TVCCA, touted the tax credit during a news conference at City Hall.
Municipal Voice

Community Alliance Confronts Local Wealth Gaps

Talk about poverty, and you sometimes have to use the language of war. Many people are seen as casualties in the war against it. Fortunately, there are also alliances that can be forged in this fight. The Alliance for Community Empowerment is one such organization. Executive Director Dr. Monette Ferguson joined the ​“Municipal Voice,” a co-production of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and WNHH FM, to talk about economic disparity.
Water

Metropolitan District Urges Customers with Overdue Water Bills to Seek Assistance. Here’s How.

Metropolitan District customers with overdue and unpaid balances on their water bills are urged to apply for financial relief through the Connecticut Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program, according to the agency. LIHWAP, a one-time water assistance grant program for eligible households, is administered by the state Department of Social Services and Community Action Agency partners, according to the MDC.
Deb M.

Thames Valley Council for Community Action Executive Director to Retire After 49 Years with Agency

Deborah Monahan started working at Thames Valley Council for Community Action fresh out of college in 1973 and ended up staying for 49 years, the past 24 as head of the agency that serves thousands of New London County residents each year through its offices in New London and Norwich. Monahan will retire Dec. 31 as executive director and CEO of the TVCCA. The nonprofit agency provides a broad range of services.
Access Event

Access Community Action Agency Staff Support Willimantic Community Event

On April 9, Access Community Action Agency participated in one of the first community events of the year after the easing of COVID restrictions. The event “Time to Play” in Memorial Park in Willimantic was coordinated by the Windham Task Force, formed to prevent and stop Child Abuse and neglect and create more awareness of the issue. Access departments joined together and went as a team with the promise to protect the children of our community. “Access is a great...
Lena R.

Nonprofit Leader Lena Rodriguez Named 132nd Commencement Speaker

Lena Rodriguez, CEO and president of the Community Renewal Team in Hartford, CT, will give the commencement address at Eastern Connecticut State University’s 132nd Commencement Exercises on May 17. The graduation takes place in the XL Center in Hartford, with the formal program beginning at 6 p.m.  Rodriguez will also receive an honorary degree from Eastern during the commencement exercises.
TVCCA Childcare (1)

‘More Than Just Babysitting’: Child Care Providers Push for More Funding

Thames Valley Council for Community Action programs provided care for the kids of hospital employees and other essential workers in the early days of the pandemic, and TVCCA Executive Director Deb Monahan said it's disappointing now, two years later, to be left behind. Monahan, Riverfront Children's Center Executive Director Sue Radway, and Child & Family Agency of Southeastern Connecticut CEO Allison Blake are among those advocating for more funding.
TVCCA Fuel (1)

Home Energy Assistance Still Available

The Connecticut Energy Assistance Program is open now at Community Action Agencies across the state for applications through May. Homeowners and renters may apply. The assistance helps pay for a household's primary heating source. The CEAP is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and more people are now eligible to receive the income-based assistance.
Covid

Op-Ed | Helping Those Most in Need

While COVID-19 positivity rates and trends finally seem to be headed in the right direction, people across the state continue to be adversely impacted by the pandemic and the resulting economic downturn. Inflation rose 7.9% last month, the highest annual increase since Cabbage Patch Kids took over Toys R Us and my elementary school. We have seen the cost increases at the grocery store, in our utility bills, and (perhaps most especially) at the gas station.
Childcare rally (1)

Rallies Held in Multiple Cities to Call for More Investment in Childcare

A stronger investment in childcare is what many parents and educators asked for during rallies in several cities on March 15. Organizers called the push “Morning without Childcare.” Groups met in Danbury, New Haven, Waterbury, Stamford, New Britain and many other areas. They hoped to call attention to what they describe as a true crisis. The parents and educators gathered in New Britain made a public plea for change within the Early Childhood Care system.
Scroll to Top