Page 46 - Wallingford Magazine Issue 46 Winter 2024

The Wallingford Community
Paying It Forward

by Joe Pajor tion. This group was motivated by a vision of estab-
lishing a program to provide shelter and support for
Some people’s paradigms of individuals experienc- Wallingford area residents experiencing homelessness.
ing homelessness are the panhandlers seen seeking Former Wallingford resident and then WES Board
money on streets and intersections. I, too, had such a member Alden Noyes shared his memories of WES’s
paradigm until I joined the Columbus House Board of beginnings. “WES was envisioned as an emergency
Directors in the mid-1990s. Since then, my homeless- shelter where those without a place to call home could
ness paradigm has undergone a complete 180-degree stay overnight and keep warm during winter. It was as
shift. I now see human beings who are “there, but for simple as that.”
the grace of God, go I.” This story is about how the As they sought proper approval for the new pro-
Wallingford community came together in the mid- gram, Alden shared his group encountered a common Ulbrich Rubin WES Family Centers
1980s to provide support and dignity to those human misperception and stigma regarding people experienc- There were still operating expenses such as utili- intake and kitchen, we had two overnight volunteers
beings who find themselves experiencing homeless- ing homelessness; “We encountered a few times, a ties, insurance, and building upkeep. Funds secured as well. They were there to ensure safety through the
ness and how Columbus House ensures that the legacy stigma, held by some, of who the homeless are. A few were mostly larger donations from local companies, night, serve breakfast in the morning, and close the
continues today. would challenge us with the perception that the home- businesses, and banks. A small yearly Town of Walling- shelter by 8 a.m. From what I recall, there were only
Columbus House (CH), a New Haven-based less were alcoholics or drug users who were public
501(c)3 non-profit organization, has been providing nuisances who frequently debased private property.” ford grant was also obtained. enough donations for a daytime executive director/
The goal was to create “a hot and a cot” shelter,
solutions to homelessness, including Veterans with- The WES Board, however, persevered and secured providing a hot meal and a place to sleep. It was 100 case manager, Tom Thurber, who worked during the
week to assist clients in connecting with other pro-
out homes, since 1982. CH opened its first overnight approval. The first WES shelter was run out of a local
shelter for adult men and women that year, occupying parish; then, it moved to a rented building on 95 North percent volunteer run, with a few staying through the grams.”
a vacated church convent on 200 Columbus Avenue in Cherry Street owned by DeBaise Heating and Air Con- night to ensure clients’ safety. The shelter was open Despite the significant Board and volunteer time
New Haven. ditioning. Those who volunteered soon realized people from mid-November through mid-March from 5 p.m. to commitment needed, the program easily found Wall-
This past December, a CH organizational meeting experiencing homelessness were people like them. 8 a.m. Initially, clients were allowed to stay as many ingford residents to volunteer. However, the overnight
was held at the Wallingford Emergency Shelter (WES) Alden stated, “If you spent just one hour preparing and days as they needed. Then, the Board implemented a shelter was not meeting the needs of families experi-
at 123 Quinnipiac Avenue to combine two decades- serving a meal to the homeless, you realized, if you 50-day limit to motivate people experiencing homeless- encing homelessness. It was an overnight shelter for
long distinct overnight homeless shelter programs. possessed a homeless stigma paradigm, you were so ness to find housing, whether permanent or what is individuals, not families. The WES Board then sought
Both programs were created organically by individu- far off base.” known as transitional housing. community funds to create family units in the same
als, communities, and ministries caring enough to As the word spread, many volunteered, and the Wallingford resident Matt Cammarota, currently location.
establish programs for individuals who find themselves startup operation worked well. Their vision became a Chairman of the CH Board, was a WES Board member The initial two-family unit was projected to cost
homeless. reality as they succeeded in securing funds and rally- starting in 2008. He remembers transitioning from an $273,000. The goal was to secure these funds without
Starting this January, the WES overnight shelter ing Wallingford community residents to come together altruistic volunteer to a front-line, hands-on caregiver; any government funding. The then president of the
is being managed and operated as part of CH’s long- to provide shelter and meals during the cold winters. “When I joined in 2008, the first question posed to WES Board, Stephanie Rubin Niezgorski, the daughter
standing Abraham’s Tent (AT) program. Each program’s There was no model for creating such a program, just me was, what day would you like to be responsible for of the late community activist Martin Rubin, spear-
evolution shares many of the same traits: compassion, the compassionate desire and will to do so. intake? I did not fully understand the commitment headed the drive. The bulk of the funds raised were
volunteerism, success, and enriching the lives of those One of the significant ongoing fundraising needs level until after I joined. The process was that a board donated by Wayne Barneschi and other organizers of
involved. The story of how these two separate organic was to raise donations to cover the rent. The WES member would be responsible for picking up leftover the annual “Trail of Terror” Halloween event. It was a
programs became one this year begins with each pro- Board decided it was time to acquire a permanent food from Choate, bringing it to the shelter, and open- great example of the Wallingford community pulling to-
gram’s origins. shelter. While owning rather than renting economically ing the doors. From there, the intake process began, gether to take care of its own. No governmental funds
made sense, a significant hurdle was the one-time where we checked individuals in, collected/stored per- were used to build the family unit.
Wallingford Emergency Shelter capital funding needed to acquire a permanent shelter. sonal items, and did a brief security check. Volunteers The project came in $60,000 under budget. At the
A small group of Wallingford residents came Enough capital donations were secured, and in 1992, from local churches served the meals and cleaned the Martin B. Rubin Family Center dedication ceremony
together in the mid-1980s to establish the Wallingford a former bank branch on 123 Quinnipiac Avenue was kitchen. Once that was finished, the clients would relax in May 2012, Stephanie Rubin Niezgorski stated, “My
Emergency Shelter as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organiza- acquired. for a while. Since we did not have staff, in addition to father always taught us that family is essential, that
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