Editor’s note: This is the first part of a series exploring homelessness in rural Northwest Connecticut. Click here to read part two.
TORRINGTON — On a frigid day in early December, a newborn entered the world naked and homeless — but not hopeless.
Upon release from the hospital maternity ward, the infant’s young mother, abandoned by family, returned with her swaddled baby to the homeless shelter in Torrington where she had been staying while awaiting the child’s birth.
“We are currently housing eight children and a baby,” explained Deirdre DiCara, executive director of the nonprofit Friends in Service to Humanity of Northwest Connecticut Inc. (FISH), as she organized a bassinet in preparation for the shelter’s newest and youngest arrival.
While at FISH, infant and mother will receive health care and support services from local organizations aimed at placing them in permanent housing, said DiCara. “Hopefully, with time, she will reunite with her parents.”
A public health emergency
Homelessness in rural Northwest Connecticut, which has surged for the second year in a row after a decade of decline, far exceeds the number of beds available at the only two shelters serving the state’s rural Northwest Corner.
“It’s a public health emergency and a humanitarian crisis,” noted DiCara.
The Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness has reported that homelessness jumped 39% statewide from 2020 to 2022, and as of fall 2023, had risen 13% over the prior year.
In the Northwest Corner, 30% of those experiencing homelessness are considered chronically homeless, meaning they had experienced homelessness four or more times in three years, according to The Plan to End Homelessness in Northwest CT, a comprehensive report prepared by the Northwest CT Community Foundation (NCCF) in collaboration with about 30 regional social service agencies.
The rural homeless are less visible than those in more urban areas, said service providers. They are camped out in dense woods, under bridges or living in cars, tents or structures unfit for human habitation.
51 beds for entire Northwest Corner
The dipping temperatures drive homeless people to seek a warm place to sleep, burdening local shelters.
“We have 51 shelter beds in Northwest Connecticut. There are 35 beds at FISH, five of which are dedicated to veterans funded by the Veterans Administration (VA), and 16 beds at the Y in Winsted. It’s a very rural region, and transportation is a big issue,” said Julia Scharnberg, vice president of community engagement for NCCF.
“Our shelters are constantly full. We are stuck with a real logjam,” she noted. “Every day that passes, the wait list is long enough to fill all 51 slots about twice.”
Scharnberg, who also serves on the board of The Housing Collective, said she has seen a rise in the number of unhoused seniors. “Many are on a fixed or low income and any increase in monthly expenses puts them at risk of homelessness.”
The lack of low-income housing in the Northwest Corner has reached a critical point, explained the FISH executive director. “I often say it’s about housing affordability, not affordable housing.”
Complicating matters, the planned mid-November opening of an emergency cold-weather shelter in downtown Torrington, known as Operation Overflow, has been delayed as service providers search for a suitable location. Several churches have offered space, but a group of parents objected to the shelter’s proximity to a nearby school.
‘A problem that touches everybody’
Rural homelessness, according to The Plan to End Homelessness in Rural Northwest Connecticut, has many of the same root causes as the more visible urban settings: the persistent lack of affordable housing, evictions, poverty, domestic violence, mental illness and the invisible injuries of combat.
The Northwest Corner towns, unlike larger cities, lack shelters to call their own. Except for assistance from municipal social services agents, the task of assisting and monitoring homelessness falls heavily on municipal, faith or business leaders, health care agencies, charitable institutions and volunteers.
“There is nothing here because our towns are so small. What has happened is an informal web of arrangements,” said state Rep. Maria Horn (D-64).
“They are often put up in a hotel, or transported to where there are services. There have been a lot of good intentions, but the processes seem to have gone astray,” said Horn. “People are forced to find their way to Torrington and Winsted, and we tend to think we don’t have a problem.”
Help starts with 2-1-1
New Beginnings of Northwest Hills Litchfield County is a regional service agency and sponsor of The Gathering Place, which implemented the 2-1-1 intake system in Litchfield County in 2014. It offers unhoused people in Northwest Connecticut “assistance and access to services to help individuals transition out of homelessness and into a new chapter of their lives,” according to director Nancy Cannavo.
Its Gathering Place offers visitors a safe place to receive their mail, take a shower, do laundry, get a haircut, speak to a provider one-on-one, make phone calls and obtain clothing for employment interviews. Visitors also receive mental health and substance abuse referrals and supported employment.
Cannavo, a psychiatric nurse at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital and coordinator of the Mental Health Services to the Homeless program, said that between January 2022 and November 2023, The Gathering Place saw 608 homeless clients.
“We are fully committed to caring for all people and ensuring that no one is left behind,” said Cannavo.
Phoebe Tobin
The Jane Lloyd Fund will host its annual clambake July 25, marking its 19th year.
SALISBURY — The 19th annual Jane Lloyd Clambake will return to SWSA’s Satre Hill in Salisbury on July 25, bringing together volunteers, musicians and diners to raise money for a fund that has provided $1.3 million in assistance to families throughout the Region One area.
The fundraiser supports the Jane Lloyd Fund, which was created after the death of Lakeville and Salisbury native Jane Lloyd in 2005 and continues to help local residents facing financial hardship. Supported and administered through the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, the fund has assisted hundreds of families over nearly two decades.
At 2:30 p.m., volunteers will light a fire inside a pit of rocks and wood. The fire will burn for almost an hour until the stones beneath absorb the heat and glow red. The crew will then pile on seaweed, followed by corn husks, clams, lobsters and corn before covering everything with a tarp to steam the meal.
“It’s really fun,” said Donna Stoetzner, who co-chairs the event with Tanya Tedder. And the guests aren’t just spectators. “They can actually partake in putting the seaweed on, the corn husks on.”
That sense of participation reflects the spirit of the event. A core group organizes the clambake alongside what Stoetzner calls the regulars — volunteers who come “year after year after year” to serve beer, cook burgers, plate food and “step up and ask if there’s anything that they can do to help.”
Stoetzner’s own family spends the morning at the firehouse washing clams sourced that same day from family friends in Massachusetts. This year’s music, provided by Elliot Osborne and friends, is what Stoetzner calls a “loosey goosey organic music circle.” Whoever is around and wants to play simply joins in.
The fund itself grew out of a similar sense of community.
Stoetzner’s sister, Jane Lloyd, owned a gardening business. When she became ill with cancer, she had no insurance or employer to help cover mounting medical bills and everyday living expenses. In response, Salisbury Bank and Trust, now known as NBT Bank, opened an account in her name, and community members donated money to help pay not only her medical bills but also her mortgage and car payment.
“The community just stepped up,” Stoetzner said.
After Lloyd died, her family decided to continue that support for others. Today, applicants are typically referred through local social service agencies, which present their stories anonymously to the fund’s advisory board. Each year, the board allocates assistance to roughly 15 to 20 people, with some recipients receiving help for multiple years.
“We just automatically say yes,” Stoetzner said. “We’ve never turned anyone away.”
The clambake typically sells about 350 meal tickets, but attendance usually reaches 400 to 500. The event has become enough of a tradition that some families schedule reunions around it.
Beyond the clambake, the fund also holds an annual dance and appeal, and area schools frequently organize fundraisers on its behalf, donating proceeds without being asked. Such events include the annual Hotchkiss School Polar Plunge.
Stoetzner, who also works as an advancement associate and events coordinator at Indian Mountain School, said the fund would like to expand beyond the Region One area but is limited by the size of its volunteer operation and available resources.
For now, it remains focused on the community where it began.
Clambake meal tickets are available through the Jane Lloyd Fund website, but anyone is welcome to stop by for a burger, a beer or the music. Tickets cost $70.
Alec Linden
Smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted into the Northeast on Tuesday, July 14, darkening skies and spiking air quality index levels.
The worst of last week’s wildfire smoke cleared by the late weekend, though meteorologists say residents shouldn’t assume it’s gone for good as shifting weather patterns could carry smoke back into the region as powerful wildfires continue to burn in Canada and the northern Great Lakes region.
Air Quality Index readings across much of the state consistently reached unhealthy to very unhealthy levels between Tuesday and Saturday, with the worst conditions affecting southern parts of the state.
According to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, air quality across the state on Sunday returned to “Good to Moderate” levels, meaning prolonged outdoor exertion was safe for all but especially sensitive individuals.
Residents should enjoy the break from the haze, Bethel-based meteorologist Jack Drake said, but he cautioned that smoke could return if shifting winds carry it back into the region while the wildfires continue to burn.
“The position of these fires is a little unfortunate,” he said, “since a prevailing wind direction [for the region] is west-northwest.”
Because of the jet stream, a high-altitude ribbon of wind that steers weather systems across North America, smoke from summer fires in the Upper Midwest and western Ontario can be carried into the Mid-Atlantic and New England.
“It’s kind of right upstream,” he said.
Despite recent rain in Ontario and predicted storms later in the week, the Canadian Broadcast Company reported on Sunday that 139 fires, 66 of which are uncontrolled, were burning across the province. Drake said that due to the remote location of the blazes and their strength, New Englanders should not be surprised to see more smoke pass through the region in the coming weeks.
A cold front responsible for thunderstorms across New England on Saturday – the severe potential of which was actually reduced by the presence of wildfire smoke – was responsible for Sunday’s clear air, Drake explained – “it actually kicked all the smoke out to sea.”
Some wildfire smoke that passes over the Northeastern U.S. is carried “aloft,” or high overhead in the atmosphere, and only causes a high haze that makes for pretty sunsets but little on the ground impacts, Drake said.
Dominant high pressure last week, which would have caused otherwise clear weather, caused air to “sink” as it traveled southeast with the prevailing winds, he explained, bringing the smoke down to ground level and causing the skyrocketing AQI levels that made eyes itch and throats sore.
“If we get a similar setup,” he said, “we could see some smoke come back in.”
Drake recommended that residents should stay tuned into local and national weather forecasts as smoke remains a risk, since it’s difficult to model further than 48 hours in the future – “Smoke can be difficult.”
Drake said smoke forecasting has really only been a focus of his near-ten year career in weather since an event in 2023 brought thick smoke to much of the Northeast – “That was really the first week where I was like, this is the main weather story.”
“Definitely for the past three years it has been on the mind.”
Christian Murray
U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-5th District, pictured above in Cornwall on Saturday, May 9, was the only member of Connecticut’s congressional delegation to vote in favor of an amendment that would have halted additional U.S. aid to Israel.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes split from the rest of Connecticut’s congressional delegation last week, casting the state’s lone vote in favor of an amendment that would have halted additional U.S. aid to Israel.
Hayes, a Democrat who represents much of northwest Connecticut, voted for an amendment by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., that would have eliminated $3.3 billion in U.S. military aid to Israel.The amendment ultimately failed, 314-104.
Connecticut’s four other House members — Reps. John Larson, Joe Courtney, Rosa DeLauro and Jim Himes — voted against the proposal. All are Democrats.
In a statement after the vote, Hayes reaffirmed her longstanding support for Israel while expressing concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“I support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state and homeland for the Jewish people,” Hayes said, noting her record of supporting defense funding for Israel. She also said she was “horrified” by reports of children in Gaza being killed, injured and displaced during the war.
Hayes criticized the amendment as “poorly written and extremely broad,” saying it failed to account for humanitarian assistance, embassy operations, educational exchanges and support for Palestinian security forces.
“While I do not agree with the entirety of the amendment, I do believe it opens the door to long overdue, hard conversations on U.S. military aid,” Hayes said.
She added that she applies the same scrutiny to foreign aid as domestic spending.
“I cannot vote to send American taxpayer dollars anywhere in the world without that same level of scrutiny,” Hayes said, adding that constituents in Connecticut’s 5th District are calling for “more thoughtful and deliberate consideration of the path forward for the Israeli and Palestinian people.”
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Christine Bates
Tucked away in a cul-de-sac at Woodridge Lake, 17 Dresden Court West was built in 1988 on .81 acres and sold on June 5 for $980,000. The house had previously sold for $885,000 in October 2024.
GOSHEN – The 12-month trailing median sale price for a single-family home in Goshen, excluding condominiums, reached $645,000 for the period ending June 30, 2026.
The median was up slightly from $642,000 a year earlier and 22% higher than the $530,000 recorded for the comparable 12-month period ending June 30, 2024.
Sales continued to slow. Thirty-one homes sold during the 12-month period, down from 36 a year earlier and 44 during the same period in 2024. The market’s recent high came in the summer of 2023, when 51 homes sold over a 12-month period.
Inventory remained limited in mid-July, with nine single-family homes listed for sale. Five were priced above $1 million, while just one was listed below the town’s median sale price of $645,000.
The rental market was more active, with nine furnished seasonal and academic rentals available in early July.
Goshen Transfers in June
132 Ives Road – 3 bedroom/2 bath home at Woodridge Lake transferred by Wendy Casbolt to David Schriver and Angela Salvati for $450,000
17 Dresden Court West – 4 bedroom/3 bath contemporary home at Woodridge Lake transferred by Eric and Amy Bergman to Robert Z Johnson, Lauren Johnson and W Robert Johnson for $980,000
78 North Street – 2 bedroom/1 bath log home on 3.11 acres transferred by Estate of Glen Rhodes to 78 North Street Goshen LLC for $353,000
416 Old Middle Road – Studio on 69.14 acres transferred by Estate of William Gregware to Sara Gregware for $955,916
Hageman Shean Road – Parcel of land transferred by Mark Woodman to John and Constance Pereira for $50,000
Goshen Transfers in May
8 Sherbrook Drive – 5 bedroom/4.5 bath home in Woodridge Lake built in 1982 transferred by Daniel Jonathan and Ann Melinger to Steven and Janet Goldstein, Marlene Noveck and William Schulz for $1,190,000
127 Weldon Court – 4 bedroom/3.5 bath home built in 1986 in Woodridge Lake on 1.09 acres transferred by Yuval and Mindy Cohen Revocable Living Trust to Analytical Sciences Marketing Group LLC and Anniemac Private Equity Cash2keys
* Town of Goshen real estate transfers recorded between May 1, 2026, and June 30, 2026, provided by GoshenTown Clerk. Transfers without consideration are not included. Current market listings from Smart MLS and market statistics from InfoSparks. Note that monthly recorded transfers may lag sales by a number of days and may include properties not appearing on the MLS.Compiled by Christine Bates, Real Estate Salesperson with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, Licensed in CT and NY.
Lakeville Journal
The following information was provided by the Connecticut State Police at Troop B. All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Single car rollover
At approximately 5 a.m. on July 10, Morgan Duren-Janulawicz, 25, of Wolcott, Connecticut was driving south on Route 63 on the town line between Goshen and Cornwall when she lost control, striking an embankment and rolling the Mazda Tribute she was driving.She reported minor injuries but refused medical attention on scene. Duren-Janulawicz was ultimately issued a written warning for failure to maintain lane and operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance.
Avoiding animal crash
Reinhard Teetor, 71, of Pine Plains was driving north on Route 361 in Sharon on July 13 when an animal jumped out into the roadway, causing him to lose control and veer into the wire rope guardrail. There was no damage or injuries reported and Teetor was able to drive his Volkswagen Jetta from the scene.
Larceny arrest on warrant
On the morning of July 15, Leah Linkovich, 39, of North Canaan, turned herself in on an arrest warrant related to an incident in Goshen dating to June 12. Linkovich was processed for third degree larceny, and was subsequently released on a $1,000 nonsurety bond. She is scheduled to appear at Torrington Superior Court on July 29.
Two F350s collide
On the afternoon of July 15, Taylor Ford, 37, of Salisbury was driving east on Route 44 in Salisbury in a Ford F350 owned by Whitetail Lawn Service LLC. At the same time, Darin Reid, 64, of Salisbury was turning onto Route 44 from Belgo Road and failed to grant right of way, causing his own Ford F350 to collide with the side of Ford’s. No injuries were reported, and both vehicles were driven from the scene. Reid was issued a written warning for failure to grant right of way at a juncture of a highway.
Historic bridge struck after swerving for animal
Just before 7 a.m. on July 16, Kilie Phillips, 21, of Copake, New York was driving east on Route 44 in Lakeville near the intersection with Bostwick Street when she swerved to avoid a deer, causing her vehicle to collide with a guardrail and the wall of the Burton Brook Bridge, an 1873 stone bridge that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Phillips was uninjured, but her vehicle was towed. She was issued a written warning for failure to maintain lane.
Parking lot altercation leads to two arrests
At approximately 9:30 a.m. on July 16, an off duty trooper witnessed a physical altercation between two men in the Community Health and Wellness Center parking lot. An on-scene investigation led to the arrest of Christopher Henry, 62, of Cornwall, and John Santarsiero, 63, of North Canaan for second degree breach of peace. Both men were released on $500 bonds, and Henry was transported to Sharon Hospital for minor injuries to his ribs. Henry is scheduled to appear at Torrington Superior Court on July 28, while Santarsiero is scheduled to appear on July 30.
Accident investigation yields arrest
Just after 10:30 p.m. on July 16, troopers responded to the report of a motor vehicle accident on Route 361 in Sharon. After investigating, troopers arrested Santiago Sub Pop, 45, of Sharon for operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs, improper turns and operating a motor vehicle without a license. He was released on a $2,500 nonsurety bond and is scheduled to appear at Torrington Superior Court on July 30.
Guardrail crash under investigation
On July 17, at an unknown time, a grey Buick LaCrosse with Connecticut plates bearing the number BT15191 was traveling west on Route 4 near the intersection with Herrick Road in Sharon when the vehicle veered off the roadway, causing approximately 20 feet of damage to the wire rope guardrail. The vehicle belongs to Alyssa Calder of Torrington, but the driver at the time of the incident has not been identified. The incident remains under investigation.
Vulnerable person
assault arrest
At approximately 7:13 p.m. on July 18, troopers were dispatched to Cream Hill Road in Cornwall on the report of an active disturbance. After investigating, troopers arrested Ryan Stufano, 33, of Cornwall and transported him to Troop B, where he was processed for disorderly conduct and third degree assault of an elderly, blind, disabled or pregnant person. He was subsequently released on a $2,500 nonsurety bond and was scheduled to appear at Torrington Superior Court on July 20.
The Lakeville Journal will publish the outcome of police charges. Send mail to P.O. Box 1688, Lakeville, CT 06039, Attn: Police Blotter, or send to editor@lakevillejournal.com.
Madi Long
NORTH CANAAN — Spectators lined Main Street on Sunday, July 19, as the annual Bed Race returned with three teams competing for bragging rights and a tiny plastic trophy.
The field featured one of the event’s most recognizable competitors: The Royal Flush, a team from Perotti & Sons, a local plumbing business, which races a toilet mounted on a wheeled cart that has become the event’s signature entry. The company also fielded a second racer — a chair mounted on a cart that was still being assembled moments before the starting signal. Several runners pulled double duty to keep both teams in the competition. The Canaan Fire Company rounded out the field with a bright red utility cart pushed by firefighters and their family members.
Two popular characters from the float parade that preceded the Bed Race, Railroad Ray and Captain Canaan, served as announcers, welcoming spectators to the tongue-in-cheek “250th Annual Bed Race.”
The Well Drillers team sets off on the bed raceRuth Epstein
As the teams prepared to race, Jordan Long of The Royal Flush made his intentions clear.
“If we lose, I will be sorely disappointed,” Long said. “The bed race is everything, it’s always been everything. This is for all the marbles.”
The three teams took turns racing along Main Street, each hoping to post the fastest time.
Each team consisted of four runners and one rider and raced approximately 30 meters. Spectators cheered as the makeshift carts sped down the street, occasionally veering off course.
The Royal Flush crossed the finish line in 20.2 seconds to defend its title. The Canaan Fire Company finished second, just 0.15 seconds behind.
The Canaan Fire Company rallies the crowd. Madi Long
“We’ll come back stronger next year,” said Canaan Fire Company team member Tori Dodge after the close race.
The bed race was moved to Main Street this year in an effort to attract more spectators and encourage greater participation in the event.
Now a Summer Nights of Canaan tradition — and before that, a staple of Railroad Days, a multi-day summer festival dating to the early 1990s — the Bed Race was revived five years ago by Will and Samantha Perotti after the event had been dormant for several years.
“I remember going to them just as a kid before we could participate, when they were held on Railroad Street,” said Perotti. “They were super popular, and the people back then actually had real gurney beds or hospital beds with wheels. It’s more of a cart race now, but a bed race sounds way funnier.”
Even with the evolution of the race, Perotti said its appeal hasn’t changed.
“It’s always impressive to me that people wander out of their houses to watch us act like idiots.”
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