Partnership Prevails for Homes at Avon Park, Another Budget Surplus

July 29, 2026

Dear Neighbor,

For the hazy days of summer, it’s been a very busy week already.

Yesterday, we had the groundbreaking in Avon for the Homes at Avon Park, the Beacon Communities development on Security Drive. It’s an enormous partnership between municipal and state leaders, and it’s wonderful that we will soon welcome new neighbors.

Today, I was in Wallingford as the Co-Chair of the Feeding Connecticut Caucus for the groundbreaking of Connecticut Foodshare’s upcoming expansion project. It’s bittersweet that we need them to have more capacity to serve the citizens of Connecticut primarily because of federal cuts, but it’s wonderful to see that with both public and private dollars this project will get off the ground for the next 16 months.

This evening, the Connecticut student loan ombudswoman will host a presentation regarding all the latest changes to student loan debt. We are lucky to have someone in this role. She can help borrowers navigate a very challenging landscape.

We’ve also included information on the upcoming primary elections, an AAPI event coming soon, and more local events in Avon and Canton.

With just about a month to go until school starts, I hope you’re all savoring these last few weeks of summer.

Have a great week,

Eleni

Sincerely,

Eleni Kavros DeGraw
State Representative

Partnership Prevails for the Homes at Avon Park

Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Tuesday was an incredible celebration of what happens when a true partnership succeeds. Beacon Communities LLC, the Town of Avon, Connecticut, the Connecticut Department of Housing, and the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) all came together for the Homes at Avon Park, which will provide 176 new homes, more than 80% of which will be affordable.

Nestled at the front of a tree-lined suburban office park, the project includes both a new passive apartment building (more energy efficient, which helps with utility bills) and a commercial conversion of an existing office building.

This project started as an idea from Town Planner Hiram Peck and continued with the local decisions by Avon’s Planning and Development Commission and the Town Council providing an abatement.

With help along the way from CHFA and the Department of Housing and the Office of Governor Ned Lamont, this project is a culmination of the right place, right time, and right investment.

Thank you to Beacon Communities for bringing this project to Avon and for their tireless dedication to bringing people to their new homes. Like you, we can’t wait to meet the new neighbors.

Thank you, also, for having us sign the piece of the truss that will be installed in the building. It’s really quite something to imagine all of the people who will live in these buildings across decades and the lives that will be changed by having an affordable housing opportunity.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Click on the video below to hear my remarks from the press conference.

Connecticut Foodshare Facility Expanding

Today, we celebrated the groundbreaking at Connecticut Foodshare for the major expansion of their facility in Wallingford.

The project will take place over the next 16 months or so and will double their refrigerated and frozen storage capacity while also increasing dry food storage by 40%.

This expansion is funded by Federal Community Project Funding secured by Congresswoman DeLauro, Senators Murphy and Blumenthal, in addition to money from private foundations and the sale of Connecticut Foodshare’s warehouse in Bloomfield (the one where I worked from 2019-2021).

One in seven people in Connecticut is food insecure, and one in five of those are children. Connecticut Foodshare fills the gaps for people who don’t qualify for SNAP because they are Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed (ALICE) or for seniors or people with disabilities who receive SNAP benefits, but it’s not enough to feed them for a month. Connecticut Foodshare is there for anyone experiencing hunger.

Click on the video below to hear my comments from the press conference.

Tonight: Student Loan Repayment Options Workshop

To help you understand the latest updates on federal student loans, the State of Connecticut Office of the Student Loan Ombudsperson is partnering with the Student Debt Crisis Center (SDCC) to host a free webinar tonight titled "Understanding July 1 Changes for Current Students & Parents: Workshop" from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

You can register HERE.

What you can expect to learn:

Federal loan programs and lending options
Repayment options
Loan forgiveness pathways

Early Voting Begins Monday for Aug. 11 Primary

Primary elections will take place on Tuesday, August 11, in municipalities where more than one candidate from the same political party has qualified for a particular office.

In Connecticut, only registered members of a political party may vote in that party's primary.

Voters who wish to participate in a different party's primary must first update their party affiliation. Under Connecticut law, voters who change their party affiliation must wait three months before they are eligible to vote in their new party's primary. For additional election information and resources, click here to visit the Secretary of the State's election webpage.

If you plan to vote by absentee ballot, you no longer need to provide a specific reason to request one for any primary or election.

Click here to access the absentee ballot request portal.

And Another Budget Surplus

Connecticut closed the 2025-26 fiscal year with a budget surplus for the eighth straight year.

Thanks to fiscal guardrails created by the General Assembly in 2017, those surpluses are contributing to paying down the state’s unfunded pension obligations, so future debt payments are hundreds of millions of dollars smaller than they would have been.

The state’s 2026 surpluses include $411.7 million in the General Fund and $22.7 million in the Special Transportation Fund.

The $411.7 million was transferred to support the state’s Early Childhood Education Endowment in late June, with more than $1 billion allocated to pension debt following contributions to the state’s “rainy day fund”.

There is ongoing talk among some legislators that the fiscal guardrails need to be modified so that, in addition to paying down debt and funding the “rainy day fund”, more money can be spent now to support residents in need.

These and other discussions will be taken up again in the 2027 session.

Support for Community Events Grant

The Town of Avon is pleased to welcome applications for its Support for Community Events Grant Program. Applications are currently being accepted from non-profit entities for qualified events occurring from November 1, 2026, through February 28, 2027.

The deadline for the submission of applications is 4:00 p.m. on August 28, 2026.

The Support for Community Events Grant Program aims to provide financial aid to local festivals, special events, or community programs designed to provide recreational and/or cultural opportunities for residents and generally promote the Town of Avon.

More information can be found on the Department of Recreation & Parks webpage HERE.

AAPI Education Symposium on August 14th

The Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity & Opportunity (CWCSEO) is excited to be joined by the CT Chapter of the Asian Pacific American Coalition (APAC) and the University of Connecticut's Asian and Asian American Studies Institute (AAASI) to host the 4th Annual AAPI Education Symposium!

This year's symposium places the perspectives of students, educators, and community members at the center of an important dialogue about what inclusive education looks like and what it takes to build it.

Through panel discussions, presentations, and open dialogue, attendees will hear directly from those with the most at stake in shaping Connecticut's educational landscape.

Friday, August 14th
Legislative Office Building Room 2C and 2nd Floor Atrium

5:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Dinner will be provided – to help us ensure an accurate meal count, please be sure to register by 8/10).

Register Here

Reminder: Access Health CT Open Enrollment

You will soon be able to shop, compare plans, and enroll in health and dental coverage through the state’s official health insurance marketplace.

Access Health CT’s open enrollment period runs from October 23 through December 23, giving residents an early start this year to explore their options and choose the coverage that best fits their needs.

Think of the enrollment period as having two important deadlines:

Financial help remains available. Access Health CT is the only place where Connecticut residents can receive assistance to lower the cost of health insurance. Depending on income and eligibility, some residents may also qualify for the Covered CT Program, providing comprehensive health coverage at no cost.

To get started, visit AccessHealthCT.com and click the “Get Help” button on the homepage. From there, you can schedule an appointment, locate a nearby Navigator enrollment site, or connect with a Certified Broker who can help you choose the right plan.