HARTFORD, Conn. (October 13, 2016) – The Connecticut Public has received a $50,000 grant from the Melville Charitable Trust to expand the work of the Connecticut Public Radio (WNPR) Housing and Homelessness Reporting Project. This will be accomplished by the newly-formed New England News Collaborative, an eight-station, six-state regional news collaboration, which is led by CPBN.
The grant will be used to intensify WNPR’s focus on housing concerns and the prevention of homelessness, as well as the exploration of new solutions to this issue. WNPR, along with the New England News Collaborative, will continue producing in-depth stories with columnist Susan Campbell about the state of housing in the region. This new, more robust partnership will develop dynamic reporting projects for on-air broadcast, creative digital presentations, and a series of public Town Hall-style meetings used to discuss and debate these issues.
Susan Campbell. Chion Wolf photo for WNPR
“One of the key issues at the core of the New England News Collaborative is the region’s rapid demographic shifts,” said New England News Collaborative Executive Editor John Dankosky. “That means an aging population, increased immigration and outmigration of young residents. Housing and homelessness are two of the most important challenges New Englanders face as we see these shifts happen. And this grant allows us to cover these issues more fully.”
Funding from the Melville Charitable Trust will support WNPR’s Housing and Homelessness Reporting Project for one year.
The Melville Charitable Trust is the largest foundation in the United States exclusively devoted to ending homelessness. Since inception, the Trust has invested more than $132 million to end homelessness by investing in proven, lasting, and cost-effective solutions that enable people who have experienced homelessness to reclaim their lives.
About Connecticut Public Broadcasting
The Connecticut Public (CPBN) is home to CPTV, WNPR and the Learning Lab. CPTV is a locally and nationally recognized producer and presenter of quality public television programming, including original documentaries, public affairs and educational programming. WNPR is an affiliate of National Public Radio, Public Radio International and American Public Media. The Learning Lab serves high school seniors through a partnership with Hartford Public Schools and the Journalism and Media Academy Magnet School. It is also home to the Institute for Advanced Media, a program that provides the men and women of our armed forces and adult learners an opportunity to learn skills necessary for the 21st century digital media workplace. For more information, visit cpbn.org.