- Area Congregations Together was established in 1979 to provide transportation for the elderly for medical purposes and a meal program for those unable to cook for themselves.
- 1981- ACT assumed coordination of the Valley Food Bank Network.
- 1982 - The first Valley shelter for the homeless was opened in 1982 in the basement of the First Congregational Church in Ansonia. When that site was no longer feasible, the second temporary facility was opened at the Derby Train Station, housing up to 14 individuals at a time, but with no cooking or dining facilities.
- 1986 - An evening meal program for residents was established.
- 1988 - Shelter relocated to first dedicated facility in the renovated Hotchkiss Hose Fire House in Derby on March 1.
- 1997 - Spooner House rededicated in memory of Michael Spooner, one of the first shelter Supervisors.
- August 1, 2008 after seven years of searching for a location, designing the facility, and seeing through its construction, Spooner House moved into its new permanent home in Shelton.
- 2009 - ACT celebrates 30 years of service to the community.
- 2014 - Spooner House's Valley Food Bank joined in establishing the Valley Council Food Security Task Force
- 2015 - Spooner House partnered with other homeless service providers to create the Greater New Haven Coordinated Access Network
- 2016 - Spooner House adopted the Housing First model to help clients secure permanent housing as quickly as possible
ACT operates the only homeless shelter in the Lower Naugatuck Valley and one of the few in the state that welcomes families with children as well as individual adults.
Our History
New Spooner House Groundbreaking,
February 2007
The New Spooner House
Grand Opening, July 28, 2008
Spooner House Children's Room
Funded by the Generosity of the Valley Parish Nurse Program
Spooner House Dining Room & Kitchen Funded by the Generosity of
Trinity Episcopal Church, Seymour
Spooner House Kitchen
Dedicated in Memory of
Peter Beecher and Funded by the Generosity of the David M. Grant Family
Spooner House Backyard
Mural Painted by
Valley United Way Corporate Volunteer Council
Building Hope . . . Renewing Lives
