About Beth-El Center
Homelessness is a life event that can happen to anyone for a variety of reasons.
For the past 40 years, the Beth-El Center has provided emergency food and shelter programs for the Greater Milford community. The Center was founded by the Combined Parishes Action Committee (CPAC), an interfaith group that first opened a soup kitchen in St. Peter's Episcopal Church in 1981, and in 1986, opened a shelter for homeless men, women and families. BEC officially opened its doors at 90 New Haven Avenue in 1995.
In the early 1980s, homelessness was considered a person's identity rather than an experience in their life. Today, the Center is about transformation. Through an outcome-based, data-driven, coordinated system, the Center works to improve the daily lives of people experiencing homelessness and systematically end homelessness.
While shelter saves lives, housing ends homelessness. Beth-El Center is determined to create a space in which unhoused people can access the appropriate housing-specific and support services necessary to end their homelessness and prevent recidivism.
Transformational Programs and Services
During its time at 90 New Haven Avenue, the Beth-El Center has evolved from an all-volunteer operation with two core programs to an organization with 13 full-time employees, 15 part-time employees and over 120 volunteers, supporting six distinct programs.
The Center provides a continuum of crisis support, including:
- Emergency Shelter for Men, Women, Veterans and Families
- Outreach and Engagement
- No Freeze Shelter
- Diversion Services
- Permanent Supportive Housing
- Community Kitchen Services
The Beth-El Center is a highly engaged, collaborative partner in the City of Milford and the 12 additional municipalities served including Guilford, Branford, North Branford, Northford, East Haven, New Haven, West Haven, Orange, Madison, Derby, Ansonia and Shelton. In all these communities, Beth-El Center serves as the service provider, assisting in homeless prevention, outreach and engagement, emergency shelter and food access throughout the 13 municipalities.
A Leader in Solving for Homelessness
Additionally, Beth-El Center is called upon to provide thought leadership, system development and strategic planning around homeless response for municipalities in the Center's service region and beyond. In addition to accommodations and services offered through Beth-El Center's six core programs, the Beth-El Center also provides a unique community of partnership and empowerment. This includes aligning with strategic service partners and leading several community impact initiatives.
