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Hartford executives and neighborhood leaders highlight long‑term commitment and housing gains at Asylum Hill breakfast
Summary
At the Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association breakfast, The Hartford described roughly $5 million in annual giving and employee volunteer programs while neighborhood leaders detailed housing projects, rising home prices in the Sigourney area and plans for job and energy programs.
Janine McMahon, chair of the Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association, opened the 2026 Asylum Hill Partners Breakfast by asking, “What is collective impact?” and urging attendees to commit to shared responsibility for neighborhood change.
Clea Burns, chief marketing and consumer officer at The Hartford, said the company views long‑term commitment to the city as both financial support and sustained engagement. “We have a commitment today of about $5 million that we… give annually to the neighborhood associations,” Burns said, adding that the firm encourages employee volunteerism by offering a paid day off and organizing service opportunities.
Burns described a vision committee convened by The Hartford’s chairman and CEO, Chris Swift, that aims to coordinate corporate, public and nonprofit resources for Hartford’s long‑term vitality. She said the committee is using resident surveys and an advisory body of roughly 50 organizations to ground planning in local priorities.
David McDonald, executive director of the Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association, said the group’s work is guided by a 2018 resident survey that identified jobs, public safety and housing as top priorities. McDonald reviewed current projects including a Hill housing co‑op intended to expand owner‑occupancy, a neighborhood health and services festival, a new resource center using state community investment funds, and continued work on Farmington Avenue streetscape improvements.
McDonald also listed completed and ongoing neighborhood improvements: 10 volunteer‑built pollinator gardens, near‑completion of the Comet Diner interior (expected to open in about a year), and recruitment of an outreach worker, Elijah Etaria, for an Eversource‑funded Energize the Hill program to help landlords upgrade buildings and reduce energy costs.
Ken Johnson, executive director of the Northside Institutions Neighborhood Alliance (NINA), showcased NINA’s homeownership work in Sigourney Square and nearby blocks. Johnson described the restoration and sale of a restored property and said a comparable restored home “sold in 2023 for 350,000,” up from historical sales about $90,000 on that block, framing the change as generational wealth building through owner‑occupancy.
Attendees then broke into table discussions on the ingredients and barriers to partnership. Speakers at the tables emphasized trust, consistent participation, clear communication and local champions, while others raised funding and staffing shortfalls as persistent constraints.
McMahon closed by asking attendees to use commitment cards and a QR code to support the Asylum Hill Neighborhood Association and encouraged continued engagement at information tables and upcoming events, including a job fair scheduled for April 9 at 224 Ecos.
Next steps noted at the breakfast include continuing the vision committee’s resident‑centered research, advancing the housing co‑op and lots‑to‑home initiatives, pursuing Farmington Avenue streetscape work and tracking the Energize the Hill outreach and Comet Diner reopening.
