Milford, Connecticut, planning board approves new Beth-El homeless shelter on Bridgeport Avenue

The Milford Planning and Zoning Board approved plans on Tuesday for a new three-story homeless shelter on Bridgeport Avenue, a $10-million project that drew a loud show of support in the City Hall auditorium. The approval was the latest for the proposed center, following a first approval in January from the Sewer Commission.

Beth-El Center, the city’s only shelter, plans to build at 993 Bridgeport Avenue and expects the new facility to be completed next year. Executive Director Jennifer Paradis wrote in a letter to the board that the expansion “will allow us to provide even more comprehensive services, including a 24/7 drop-in center, and more robust workforce development and healthcare services.”

The project is being funded by a combination of state and federal grants and fundraising efforts. Center officials signed a tentative $1.08 million sales agreement for the property in mid-October, to be finalized once the building permits have been acquired. The site, the former location of a laundromat, covers about three-quarters of an acre. The new center will be about twice the size of the present building at 90 New Haven Avenue.

The new building will include a 44-seat soup kitchen, 11 studio apartments, six single beds and 10 additional bedrooms for small families, all for short-term occupants. The current New Haven Avenue facility has an open sleeping area for shelter clients. Officials have said the new layout will give clients more privacy and safety, potentially reducing friction between residents. The building will also include a meeting space where visiting agencies and social workers can address client needs, and a daycare center with a fenced outdoor play area on the second floor.

The expansion will also turn the center’s seasonal No-Freeze program, which keeps unsheltered clients under a roof during bad-weather spells, into a 24-7 drop-in site for people who need shelter. As of Wednesday night, 15 people were staying at the shelter. On average, it serves 19 clients per night, and 20 to 22 during a cold snap, Paradis said. Serving people in need at that scale, with room for families and a kitchen open to those who come, reflects the hospitality described in Matthew 25:35.

The Beth-El Center, Inc. has provided services to support individuals and families experiencing housing insecurity and homelessness since 1986. According to Paradis’s letter, the center’s mission is to “provide stable and safe emergency shelter services, extending dignity and respect to all individuals and families while connecting them to housing, food and services.” The redesigned space will also include a community kitchen, life skills development and permanent supportive housing, Paradis said.

“The Beth-El Center is deeply rooted in the fabric of our community,” Paradis said. “We are subject matter experts and lead our community in the efforts to address and solve homelessness within our service area. This proposed building project will allow for a necessary service transition, allowing for greater, proactive response to the crisis of homelessness and food insecurity in our community.”

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