BTC –Day 6 Journal – West Hartford, Holy Family to New Britain, Corbin Heights Public Housing Project

BTC –Day 6 Journal – West Hartford, Holy Family to New Britain, Corbin Heights Public Housing Project

Lou, Fr. Stephen, and Johnnie F left around 6:30 in the morning heading for WDRC station to talk on the air with Brad Davis. They would meet Charlie there. Charlie was biking from Vernon. All were prepared to stay on talk and speak to our mission.
The discussion with Brad went perfectly well and was totally focused on the mission. Brad seemed into it and welcomed us back next year. The four left feeling pretty good.
They headed for Senator Dodd’s office on Lewis Street in downtown Hartford.
The rest of the team went to mass and had their breakfast. They would meet the other bikers at the state capital for a visit with Deb Polun, Legislative Director of the Connecticut Commission on Aging.

The meeting with Mark Stephanou at Senator Dodd’s office went quite well and we discussed the Measurement of Poverty Bill currently before the House of Representatives and hopefully to be put before the Senate by Dodd. It would redefine how poverty is measured. The old measurement is dated form the 1960’s and does not take into consideration housing, child care, and health costs among other things and can have a startling affect on the actual number of people in poverty in the United States. We are looking forward to the redefinition as we use these facts and numbers in our presentations. We believe rather than only 37 million Americans in poverty based on the current definition, there are more like 90 million working poor in America, 1/3 of the population of the United States. Shameful!

The three of us left Senator Dodd’s office and met the rest of the team at the capital. We had lunch right there on the Capital ground and then proceeded upstairs to meet with Deb Polun.
We had met her when she was an aid for Don Williams. She is now in a far more influential position and actually called Charlie as she felt our group could benefit in a discussion with her office. She advocates for the elderly and we now have an agency we can point to in this regard. The discussion was informative as well as enlightening. Pam added the below regarding the visit.

We met with Deb Polun (Legislative Director) and Robert Norton (Communication Director) of Connecticut Commission on Aging. This visit was very educational to all members of our group. This agency works on research and public policy of issues that affect our senior population. They work with both sides of the aisle within the state government to educate representatives and senators on what is right for our seniors.
Some facts that we learned:
Ø The senior population will triple by 2030
Ø Connecticut is the 7th oldest age population
Ø 50% of senior women live on their social security payments alone
Ø New Initiative-State Elder Economic Security Initiative
v Research being done to see what it really costs for a senior to live.
v They will take into account where seniors live, what kind of housing they live in and different economic status.
Ø Seniors need to be given the choice and independence to stay at home rather than going to a nursing home. Services need to be provided so this can happen. This is expensive at first but will be cost saving in the long run.
Ø Biggest challenge of moving seniors out of nursing homes is affordable housing. Initial setup and services need to be in place before any of this can happen.
Ø A program that has been started in Connecticut is called “Money follows the Person”. This program lets seniors stay in their homes and provides services while in the home. It is about choice and independence. This program has been established in Oregon saving 6 million dollars a year. This program needs our support.
Ø Some of their allies are Jonathon Harris (West Hartford), Mary Ann Handley (Manchester) and Peter Vallano (Hamden)
Ø Call the Governor not to cut the Commission on Aging or any services that affect this population.


We then walked over to the Legislative Office building and actually popped in on our state representatives and Senators. None were present but we were able to leave pertinent notes to them. This was all done on the spur of the moment as a response to the suggestion by Deb Polun. Worked out quite nicely.

Some of us next ventured over to Congressman John Larson’s office to speak with John Rossi, Representative Larson’s aid. We have met with Mr. Rossi a number of times and the discussion centered on the devastation in Wethersfield as a result of the tornado that hit the other day. We did also discuss poverty issues and he was right on top of things.

He gave us an overview of what has been happening at the federal level. Healthcare is one of the biggest issues that will have to be decided at the federal level. A middle ground will have to be found for healthcare. The Congressman does not want anyone to go into poverty because of lack of healthcare or inadequate healthcare. The SCHIP money for children’s healthcare is up. The Recovery Act has supplied 11 million dollars for homeless prevention and 25 million for public housing. What people need to understand is that this money really is not for stimulus but for stability. Over the past 8 years, these programs have been under funded so now we just have to catch up. Money for education from the Recovery Act has begun to come into the state. It is sitting until the state budget is passed. One important bill that the Congressman is passionate about is the Youth Promise Act. It is an investment for our future. Councils in high-risk cities will develop a comprehensive plan for implementing evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies. These strategies will be targeted at young people who are at-risk of becoming involved, or involved in, gangs or the criminal justice system to redirect them toward productive and law-abiding alternatives. This bill will be reintroduced on July 15th. Congressman Larson is now the 4th ranking democrat in the House. He has decided not to co-sponsor bills but work very hard within the leadership to get his point across. He was having a public forum on health care that evening at Manchester Community College.

We had to cut the discussion short because we had to be over in New Britain by 3:00.

We all headed over. While biking there, Lou received a couple of calls that the vehicle that Fred was driving had a dead battery. Problem. No jumper cables. Bought a new battery. Still problems. Dave and Fred went and got a part to fix the battery cable. They got to Corbin Heights in time for the presentation.
Lou was greeted by Kim McLaughlin and the other folks from PHRN. Mayor Tim Stewart arrived. The Archbishop arrived. We were good to go. Lou acted as master of ceremonies and did a good job of keeping the flow and getting everyone to speak and say what they had to say in a timely period. Other dignitaries included State Representative Tim O’Brien, PHRN President James White, and Alderman Ray Centano. It was declared PHRN Day as Mayor Stewart delivered the proclamation to resident Addie Keith. Lou brought this little kid, Jaoun, to the mike and had him turn around so we could se what was written on the back of his tee shirt. It read something about God and being with him was an adventure. Don’t remember the exact words.
Also, Archbishop Mansell awarded PHRN a $35,000 CCHD grant which just solidified the entire afternoon. The sun shined brightly and the wind blew a bit but everything went perfectly well.
The culmination of a great week long ride.

We all left for St. Bridget’s. Before anyone left we said a final prayer and hugged each other goodbye and looked forward to next year.

Lou rode home to help wind down. He made it home safely. No crashes this year.

Lou received a phone call from Fr. Jeffries a short time after he was home. Fr. Jeffries just wanted to know how the remainder of the ride went and how we made out at the Finale. Lou told him he helped make this year’s ride special. Great conclusion to the weeklong.

See you again next year. Pedal On!!!!!

Lou