Chief Executive Officer
Hartford Community Loan Fund
FOCUS
Rex lives in Hartford, Connecticut, and works in the field of community development finance. Once the country’s richest city, Hartford is now a city with rich racial and ethnic diversity, but where one-third of its residents live in poverty, despite its status as the capital of the wealthiest state in the country. Rex aims to be a catalyst for investments that will create a healthier community in Hartford, especially for his North End neighbors, increasing access to things those in Hartford’s suburbs sometimes take for granted: healthy and affordable food, good health care services, high-quality, affordable housing, and streets that feel safe for walking at night.
STRATEGIC INITIATIVE: Support the Community Advisory Task Force to Develop the Healthy Hartford Hub for Nutritious & Affordable Food
As indicated in my original proposal/draft submission, my strategic initiative will support the Community Advisory Task Force (CATF), which is leading proposed development of the Healthy Hartford Hub project (HHH)designed to increase access to healthy and affordable food for low-income residents currently in a food desert, while also providing access to health-promoting services. The HHH is intended to be anchored by a full-service supermarket, which would be only the second in the city of Hartford. Health-promoting services may include a community teaching kitchen, Federally Qualified Health Center outpost, pharmacy, and/or a wellness studio. More recently (subsequent to initial draft submission), the CATF has proposed rehab of blighted/vacant properties around the proposed HHH site as an equitable and inclusive development area, with a focus on black-owned businesses. The CATF consists of approximately 15 residents from neighborhoods immediately surrounding the proposed city-owned HHH site.
MORE ABOUT REX
With 30 years in corporate finance and community development lending, Rex seeks to use his networks and skills to increase investments that create healthier communities, especially in his home of Hartford, Connecticut.
Click here to watch Rex’s Legacy Project video.