Located at the M.L. Keefe Community Center in the heart of southern Hamden, Community Services has a staff of five full-time employees. In addition to Town funding, Community Services received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which allows the department to assist residents in avoiding evictions, foreclosures and utility service interruptions.
While Community Services is best known for providing emergency services to people in need through its food bank, shelter to families displaced by fire, or assistance to families facing heating emergencies during the cold winter months, the department also engages in a number of proactive activities designed to give residents the tools to succeed and improve themselves, including a very successful workforce training program, collaborative efforts with local arts groups to provide artistic programming, and providing scholarships to children unable to afford to attend local summer camps.
The Keefe Learning Lab also offers Adult courses in:
Adult Basic Education
GED preparation
ESOL
Citizenship
Career Transitions