A joint message from the Board President and the Executive Director

In November 2008, our country voted for change. We voted for new leadership with new solutions to guide us through these difficult and challenging times. We voted to replace pessimism with optimism, to see our problems as opportunities, and we chose hope for the future.

Last fall we elected new national leaders. Locally, at HRA, we also chose a new leader. Our new Board President will lead our agency with renewed hope and new perspectives. In our 2008 Annual Report, we described how we built and strengthened our infrastructure to provide better quality service. We developed a strategic plan which helped us improve the service to our community and which has guided us through the economic downfall that ensued.

HRA was more externally focused during 2009. We looked at the world around us and became engaged at every level in our neighborhoods to help our people achieve their economic and social potential. Our staff, partners and volunteers worked together to make change at the grassroots level, right in our own backyards.

With greater numbers of people devastated by the economic recession, we assisted over 16,500 people with our programs and services. For example, we saw a 32% increase in people needing energy assistance and the number of people needing fuel bank assistance nearly quadrupled during the 2008-2009 heating season.

These are just some of the accomplishments that prove what we can do when we work together to achieve our goals:

• Even in these toughest of economic times, over 1,000 formerly unemployed people obtained employment with HRA's help. Another 1800+ low-income people eliminated or reduced barriers to employment and self-sufficiency, mostly with increased education and training.

• 5,200 people obtained access to multiple services that will support them in various ways as they strive to become self-sufficient. This is a 55% increase over last year.

• Over 4,200 people reduced or eliminated an emergency energy or housing need.

• 1,339 residents received over $2 million in tax refunds through our VITA Program.

• Over 3,300 children and youth (30% more than last year) were impacted by or participated in HRA's programs to support their growth and development.

• Our community donated nearly 4,000 volunteer hours to help the participants in our programs.

• We partnered with over 70 organizations to plan and implement programs that will increase services to the people in our community and to leverage the precious resources that allow these programs to happen.

Too many people are suffering and will continue to suffer. Now more than ever, they need our collective optimism and our new approaches so that we can stimulate growth in our own neighborhoods. Serious challenges remain at a time when our financial resources are shrinking, but with these achievements in front of us, we at HRA remain hopeful and committed.

We invite you to read more about our accomplishments, services, locations, financial information and recognitions on the following pages of our 2009 Annual Report. Our intent is to provide useful information to our community and to our partners as we look forward to another year of working to reduce poverty in the New Britain community.

Human Resources Agency of New Britain
180 Clinton Street, New Britain, CT, 06053
Phone: (860) 225-8601 • Fax: (860) 225-4843

Copyright 2004 Human Resources Agency of New Britain, All Rights Reserved