Happy Thanksgiving!

November 26, 2025

I hope this email finds you and your family well. Warm Thanksgiving wishes to everyone in our district. Whether celebrated with family, friends, or in peaceful reflection, may this day bring comfort, gratitude, and a renewed sense of hope for the season ahead. As your legislator and neighbor, I remain thankful for your insights, your engagement, and your commitment to our community. I hope your holiday is filled with meaningful connection, good food, and moments of joy.

There is plenty to get to in the email below, so make sure to keep scrolling for more on: 

  • Expanding High-Speed Internet Access Statewide
  • Financial Scam Warning Targeting Elderly
  • Thanksgiving Day Food Drive
  • Small Business Saturday
  • Community Events

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office at any time.

Last week, I was grateful to join the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, the Central Coordinated Access Network (CAN), local partners, and community members for a roundtable discussion on our collective efforts to address homelessness in our state.

Connecticut’s housing and homelessness system is now facing an urgent and unprecedented threat stemming from changes in HUD’s FY25 Continuum of Care (CoC) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), compounded by delays caused by the federal government shutdown.

These federal changes pose several serious and intersecting risks:

  • A guaranteed funding lapse beginning in January 2026 for contracts set to expire due to HUD’s delay in releasing the NOFO.

  • The permanent loss of roughly 70% of Connecticut’s permanent supportive housing portfolio as a result of HUD capping permanent housing at 30% of the annual renewal amount. Even if CoC funding were somehow preserved, this cap would still eliminate most permanent housing and force many individuals back into homelessness.

  • A potential annual loss of federal housing and homelessness funding of up to $98.2 million, with the more likely impact estimated at approximately $70 million.

Connecticut is already confronting a severe rental shortage and rising homelessness rates. Our goal is to prevent mass evictions, program closures, and a rapid spike in homelessness, and to safeguard essential services should the federal government fail to act.

The U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration has approved Connecticut’s proposal for the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program, awarding $144 million to the state that will be used to expand high-speed internet access statewide. Connecticut is one of 18 states and territories that received federal funds.

Expanding residents’ access to fast, affordable, and reliable high-speed internet will ease essential daily activities, including obtaining medical care, managing bills, seeking employment, and accessing educational opportunities.

Click here to read more on Connecticut’s final proposal for the BEAD program.

Be on the lookout for scams targeting seniors! The Connecticut Intelligence Center, a law enforcement partnership within the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP), is warning about a dramatic increase in financial scams targeting the elderly in Connecticut and the nation.

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 859,532 complaints in 2024, with losses reported at $16.6 billion, a 388% increase from 2023. In 2024 “false pretense” scams cost an estimated $31.9 million to Connecticut victims, most of whom were 65 or older, according to the 2024 Crime in Connecticut Report.

What to Watch Out For

  • High pressure, urgent timeline (“you must send money now”)
  • Request to pay with gift cards, wire transfer, prepaid cards, personal checks or cryptocurrency
  • Caller says you must not contact family or police
  • Caller ID spoofing (it may show a local number or government agency but is fake)
  • Unwilling to meet in person or hesitation to identify themselves with official credentials

What to Do if You Believe You Are a Victim

  • Contact the local police to report the incident
  • Do not transfer money and do not give any payment information
  • Do not give any personal information or confirm/repeat social security numbers, birthdates, bank information or account numbers
  • Verify by calling the family member with a known number not one provided by the caller
  • If you have already made a payment contact your bank or the payment service immediately

Where to Go for Help

Bring canned goods and non-perishable food items to the BATTLE OF THE BELL Thanksgiving Day Game at Muzzy Field to support the Bristol Central HS and Bristol Eastern HS Thanksgiving Day Food Drive.

Items will be collected beginning at 8:30 A.M. until Half Time. Game time is 10:30 A.M.

On November 29, Small Business Saturday highlights the importance of locally owned businesses. It inspires shoppers to support their communities by choosing to shop small during the busy holiday season.

By participating, you can find unique, personalized gifts while contributing to the local economy by keeping money within your community. Small Business Saturday fosters a sense of connection, strengthening neighborhoods and ensuring that local businesses, which are often the heart of their communities, continue to thrive.

Click here to find out where you can shop small near you.

On Saturday, December 6 and Sunday, December 7 from 5:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. join Scuba Santa for an underwater photo session at the Dennis Malone Aquatics Center (325 Mix Street).

This event is FREE with the donation of one, unwrapped gift per family to benefit the Youth & Community Services Division Holiday Gift Giving Program and Toy Drive. All donations are distributed to those in need directly within the Bristol community. 

SPACE IS EXTREMELY LIMITED - Click here for more information and to register. 

The Bristol Bazaar is home to over 75 local makers, unique gifts, creative workshops, and Yellow King Bristol.

Shop small, support local and explore thousands of handmade treasures in our one-of-a-kind indoor market space. Open 6 days a week (67 Race Street), click here for more information.