project TYPE
Acquisition & Renovation
END USE
Respite Home
population
Recovery & Re-entering Citizens
Serving the greater New Britain area, New Life II, founded in 2016 by Pastors Dana and Evelyn Smith, is Connecticut’s first black-owned, faith-based, peer-led recovery community organization. It offers comprehensive recovery housing and peer services, providing intensive, person-centered addiction recovery alongside safe, affordable, drug-and alcohol-free housing. They offer non-clinical, peer-to-peer support for individuals affected by addiction, incarceration, trauma, and other significant life events, meeting individuals wherever they are in their recovery journey with enthusiasm, understanding, and without judgment.
The Gloria House, named after Pastor Dana’s mother, is Connecticut’s first peer-run respite, a four- bedroom residential home in New Britain staffed by peers with direct lived experience with mental health, addiction, and trauma. The Gloria House offers voluntary, short-term respite services as an alternative to traditional psychiatric stays. Guests are provided a space to navigate emotional distress, one-on-one peer support, and access to many other tools and resources to promote wellness, connection, and self-determination. The Gloria House aspires to create a space where guests can find the connection and support needed to turn a difficult time into an opportunity.