New Puerto Rican Restaurant & Funding for Revitalization!
December 12, 2024
Our community is getting significant help to bring new life to a vacant downtown property. Please read below to learn how we plan to transform the old Kramer Building.
The owner of our town's new Puerto Rican restaurant joined my weekly radio show to talk about Mofongo. Keep scrolling to listen to the show and get a deep dive into this amazing business.
The state is offering a lifeline to children and their families who are experiencing homelessness in Connecticut. I'll break down how they can access permanent housing.
Time is running out to enroll for health insurance via Access Health CT. Please keep scrolling to see one of the upcoming deadlines for coverage.
Here are the sections in today's email:
$200,000 Windham Revitalization Project
Let's Talk About It: Mofongo Restaurant
Help for Families of Young Children Access Permanent Housing
Access Health CT Open Enrollment Deadline
$200,000 Windham Revitalization Project
The state is pouring in $200,000 into Windham to revitalize a huge vacant building downtown. The Town of Windham will use the money to assess the 2.46-acre site of the former Kramer Building on Prospect Street. This work will pave the way toward redeveloping the building and spur economic growth in our community.
The state grants were allocated by the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development’s Brownfield Remediation and Development Program. In total, the state approved $20 million to cleanup and redevelop 21 blighted properties across the state.
We learned much more about the brand-new Mofongo restaurant in Windham. Co-owner Enrique Rodriguez joined my weekly radio show, “Let’s Talk About It,” to promote his culinary business with guest host Mayor Tom DeVivo.
Mofongo offers delicious, traditional Puerto Rican style food for an affordable price. The restaurant gets its name from a delicious dish called mofongo, which is fried plantains with butter, chimichurri, garlic with your choice of meat on top. The new business is located in the old Friendly’s building on West Main Street. Crews transformed the space to offer fast and casual meals including empanadas. Mofongo is open from 11 A.M. – 9 P.M. every day.
Rodriguez and his wife Julie, who is also a co-owner of the business, decided to open their new location in Willimantic because there is a huge Hispanic and Puerto Rican community here. They also own Mofongo locations in New Britain, Hartford, and New Haven, but Enrique tells us his wife only wants to work in the Willimantic restaurant because she sees how much her customers are enjoying the food and the space.
Rodriguez is very grateful to the community for their support and his staff, which is a team of 15 to 20 people, for their hard work in ensuring a smooth restaurant opening in town. Mofongo will soon offer delivery service on platforms such as DoorDash. The restaurant is proud of what they serve and hopes you stop by and try their amazing dishes.
To learn more about Mofongo’s menu and story, please click on the video below to listen to the entire show.
Enrique Rodriguez promotes his new Willimantic restaurant Mofongo.
Help for Families of Young
Children Access Permanent Housing
Governor Lamont’s administration is continuing a groundbreaking initiative to connect young children experiencing homelessness with permanent housing. This initiative works collaboratively with the recently launched Head Start on Housing pilot program. It provides low-income families with young children access to free services centered around early learning and development, health, and family well-being.
Since its launch, Connecticut’s Head Start on Housing pilot program has housed 144 families, including 317 children. The Connecticut Department of Housing will allocate 50 vouchers annually for Head Start and Early Head Start families.
Connecticut has engaged housing and Head Start providers in several other states who have requested assistance in modeling the program.
You can enroll right now for health insurance through Access Health CT (AHCT). If you want coverage to start on January 1, 2025, you must enroll on or before Sunday. If a customer enrolls between December 16, 2024, and January 15, 2025, coverage will start February 1, 2025.
Anyone who lives in Connecticut can shop and compare health insurance plans or renew their coverage. Customers may also enroll in dental insurance through AHCT. Open enrollment runs through January 15, 2025.
AHCT is the only place Connecticut residents can get financial help to pay for their health insurance. Nearly 90% of AHCT customers enrolled in a Qualified Health Plan (QHP) receive assistance. Some customers might also qualify for the Covered CT Program. This program provides no-cost insurance for eligible residents.
Free help to sign up is available online, in person, and over the phone. For a list of enrollment fairs and to register, visit the Enrollment Events webpage on the AHCT website. Information about enrollment locations and Navigator locations is also listed. Customers can also get help from a certified broker or enrollment specialist in their community.
Visit AccessHealthCT.com and click "Get Help" or call 1-855-805-4325. Help is available in more than 100 languages. Customers who are deaf or hearing impaired may use TTY at 1-855-789-2428 or call a relay operator. People can also chat live with a customer service representative by clicking the “Live Chat” icon on the website.
