Cornwall’s new advocate aims to help with housing

Newly appointed to the volunteer position of Cornwall’s Housing Advocate, resident Jessica Brackman brings her experience, love of the community and energetic enthusiasm to the task of creating viable housing opportunities to ensure a vital future for the town.

“I come at this really wanting to help,” Brackman had said at the Wednesday, Oct. 19, forum convened by the Housing Plan Implementation Committee, where Brackman will serve with other town leaders working toward a common goal of promoting diversity in housing opportunities.

“I spent my first two undergraduate years at Connecticut College in New London and then transferred to University of California, Berkeley, graduating with a B.A. in History,” Brackman said in an interview on Sunday, Oct. 23.

After working as a journalist in San Francisco for a few years, she returned to New York to manage a family business in stock photography, a company she sold when she married Charles Melcher. They have a son, Daniel.

Charles had been weekending and summering in town since he was 12 years old and had developed a bond with the town and a grasp of its sense of community, Brackman said.

The family’s search for a country home when Daniel was a youngster, naturally brought Charles back to Cornwall, Brackman said.

“When I came and experienced the natural beauty, along with the casual, warm, intergenerational spirit of the place, I was quickly convinced.  I’d never before encountered a community quite like it,” she said. “I fell in love with it and knew I wanted my son to grow up in this remarkable place.”

When her son went to college, Brackman returned to graduate school and earned a degree in social work to become a therapist and in 2019 attained an LMSW (licensed in New York and Connecticut). She went on to certification as a life coach.

“When I became aware that the town had an Affordable Housing Committee and was developing a plan for addressing this issue that included the designation of a Housing Advocate, I thought that this might be a way I could be of service,” Brackman said.

During her social work studies in the city, Brackman worked with people experiencing housing insecurity. She said that it was gratifying to be in a position to help them navigate the challenges, obtain assistance and to be of emotional and logistical support, just some of the skills she will use locally as a housing advocate.

Brackman anticipates working closely with Heather Dinneen, the town’s social services director. She praised Dinneen for her tireless and imaginative work helping residents deal with immediate housing, food and fuel emergencies.

“She has her hands full and can use back-up in addressing the longer-range issues of the broader and longer-term housing needs of the town — helping families develop strategies to get on a stronger economic footing and working with the Cornwall Housing Corporation and other agencies toward creating more affordable housing options,” Brackman said.

Currently, Brackman is exploring those options and how they might assist Cornwall, including the local parcel program administered through the Cornwall Housing Corporation (CHC) where land is leased to a homeowner with the CHC paying for driveway and well water installation costs, thereby reducing the cost to a homeowner who would need to be responsible for building the home.

Brackman encourages anyone seeking help with housing to contact her. She also wants to hear from homeowners who might be interested in exploring ideas for affordable rentals in their homes or on their property. Donations to help address immediate needs or long-term solutions are also welcome.  Brackman can be reached at: housing@cornwallct.gov.

This article has been corrected to note that Jessica Brackman's son, Daniel, did not attend Cornwall Consolidated School as originally reported.