Since its creation in 1998 by the Melville Charitable Trust, the Partnership for Strong Communities initially focused on strategies to prevent and end homelessness. Since its incorporation as a separate 501 (c)(3) in 2004 the Partnership’s mission has expanded to foster additional affordable housing throughout the State and to support the development of strong and vibrant communities. It was in 2004 that the Partnership moved into the newly renovated Lyceum Resource and Conference Center.

From its inception until 2010, the Partnership’s first executive director, Diane Randall, helped to define the Partnership as a go-to institution for information on homelessness and affordable housing.  In 2011, Howard Rifkin became executive director, and he was instrumental in expanding the depth and breadth of the Partnership. When Rifkin left in February 2014, then-deputy director Alicia Woodsby became interim executive director, and was named executive director in June 2014. Current Executive Director, Kiley Gosselin came on board in November, 2018.

Since its founding in 1998, the Partnership has successfully advocated for more than $2.6 billion in public funding in Connecticut which has helped build homes and created programs to end chronic homelessness. We have engaged civic and elected leaders to imagine, plan and execute effective change and to create a new paradigm of thinking about housing.