History & Impact

For more than 30 years, New Reach has grown from a single crisis shelter into a comprehensive, holistic model addressing prevention, crisis response, housing stability, and food security—strengthened by three successful mergers that expanded our reach and built a lasting network of hope and opportunity.

Building Hope, One Step at a Time

Our story is one of compassion, innovation, and unwavering belief in the power of community.

Three Decades of Opening Doors

For more than 30 years, New Reach has evolved to meet the changing needs of families facing homelessness and housing insecurity across Connecticut. What began as a single crisis shelter has grown into a comprehensive, holistic model addressing the full continuum of care — from crisis response to prevention, housing stability, and food security. Through three successful mergers, New Reach has strengthened its reach, expanded essential services, and built a network of hope and opportunity that continues to transform lives every day.

  • Group of people at a ribbon-cutting ceremony outside a house with balloons and purple ribbon.
  • A woman sitting at a desk with papers, a yellow folder, and a printer in the background.
  • A woman with a yellow purse cuts a green ribbon with purple ribbon accents during a ribbon-cutting ceremony, with three women standing nearby watching and smiling.
  • A man and woman standing together at a party or gathering, smiling, with a long table behind them filled with paper bags, gift bags, and other items, in a decorated indoor space.

Growing Stronger Through Partnership

When organizations come together with shared purpose, communities grow stronger.

Over the years, New Reach has united with like-minded organizations to expand its impact and ensure that families receive seamless, coordinated support.

  • The merger with Life Haven strengthened our crisis and emergency shelter programs for women and children.

  • The integration of CareWays Shelter enhanced our ability to provide transitional and supportive housing across the region.

  • Joining forces with FISH of Greater New Haven brought essential food access and delivery services, addressing one of the most urgent needs families face.

Together, these partnerships built the foundation of New Reach’s holistic approach—one that responds to immediate needs while creating lasting pathways to stability and independence.

Looking Ahead

When stability and hope come together, lives change.

As New Reach looks to the future, our commitment remains steadfast: to ensure that every family has not only a place to live, but the resources and support to thrive. Building on three decades of impact, we continue to innovate—expanding affordable housing options, deepening prevention work, and strengthening partnerships that make our communities more equitable and resilient.

  • A group of people standing on the front steps of a house, celebrating a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new home or building. They are smiling and dressed in business or semi-formal attire. A woman is holding scissors, preparing to cut a purple ribbon.
  • A woman sitting at a desk with paperwork, a yellow folder, and office supplies in a room with a printer and white walls.
  • Four women at a ribbon-cutting event, one woman cutting a purple ribbon with green and purple ribbons tied together, inside a room with wood-paneled doors and light green walls.
  • Two people, a woman and a man, standing side by side with their arms around each other in front of a table filled with paper bags and wrapped gifts at a party or event.

Learn About New Reach’s Impact

A woman holding a young girl at a homeless shelter, alongside a report on the organization's 2023 activities and impact, highlighting support for families experiencing homelessness.
A woman standing on a lakeside walkway wearing a black Call of Duty Vanguard hoodie, glasses, with her hands in her pockets, and a top knot hairstyle, with trees, parked cars, and a blue recycling bin in the background.
Teen boy wearing a hooded jacket speaks outdoors during a news interview, with cars and trees in the background.
Two smiling friends, one woman and one man, hugging in front of a brick wall. The woman is wearing red and glasses, the man is wearing glasses, a hoodie, and a jacket.

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What New Reach does
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