Jennifer Paradis became the Executive Director of the Beth-El Center when she was just 31 years old. Did you feel equipped? I ask her one afternoon in her office – a small but inviting space with a large wooden desk, floral curtains, and mementos adorning the walls. A bouquet of dried lavender sits on the windowsill, basking in the ample sunlight.
Jenn laughs as she answers my question. “Yes and no,” she says. “But you figure it out. You learn how to do it. And then you learn new ways to do it. And hopefully you make a difference.”
It is a humble response from someone who heads an organization that has served the Milford community for more than 40 years, employs a full staff of 23, and sees 250 volunteers coming through its doors every month. The Beth-El Center, located at 90 New Haven Ave., is a nonprofit organization that strives to extend dignity and respect to all individuals while ensuring access to housing, food, and essential community resources. Jennifer has been Executive Director of the Center since 2018.
Background
Jennifer was raised in Bloomfield, CT. The youngest of three children, she describes her family as “solidly working-class,” noting that her father was a bowling alley mechanic and her mother took on odd jobs. “They worked hard,” she explains, “but my older sister required a lot of specialized medical care.” Tragically, her sister passed away at age seven. Overwhelmed by medical bills, the family lost their home, and her parents became unsheltered. Jenn “couch surfed” at friends’ homes until she was able to get a job and rent a room for the remainder of high school.
College was a welcome reprieve, as it meant secure housing. Jenn attended Eastern Connecticut State University, where she met mentors and friends who would influence her path forward. After being encouraged by a friend to volunteer at a local no-freeze shelter, Jenn felt a sense of belonging. “These were my people,” she says, reflecting on the moment she arrived. She began working there a few weeks later. In 2009, she was able to rent her first-ever apartment.
Beth-El
After obtaining her bachelor’s in sociology, Jenn went on to earn her master’s in organizational leadership and nonprofit management from Quinnipiac. “I was looking for something that would give me relevant skills for a promotion,” she says, “but the program ended up shaping how I think about nonprofits.” In 2015, she joined Beth-El as their Director of Programs and Facilities. She was promoted to Executive Director three years later. “I’m so grateful for the Board,” she tells me. “They supported me, even though I was on the younger side. They knew I would approach the position differently and they embraced it.”
Today, Beth-El continues to serve a diverse community of people. Of their residents, the oldest is 81 years old. The youngest is a newborn baby.
“Our goal is to be responsive to whatever need walks through the door,” Jenn explains. Beth-El’s services include homelessness prevention (also known as diversion), emergency shelter through their year-round program, a community kitchen – open every day and serving two meals a day – a permanent housing program, and various forms of outreach and engagement within the Milford community.
Beth-El also offers a no-freeze overnight program that runs from November to April every year, with the goal of keeping people safe during the harshest winter months. But Jenn also notes that times are changing: “We’re starting to see this differently. In actuality, more people pass away from extreme heat than cold weather every year. So the real solution is creating year-round beds to fill the need.”
Climate change also plays a major role in shaping populations of unhoused individuals. Jenn points to California as an example, noting that housing crises often follow tragic losses like those experienced during the recent wildfires. “People are immediately displaced because of the fires,” she explains, “but then private equity firms will buy up all the new housing options, gentrifying the community and making it unaffordable for those who used to live there.” A vicious cycle ensues – one that adds to homeless populations throughout the country.
Events and Opportunities
While Beth-El is a direct-service organization working in crisis management, they advocate primarily for community collaboration to end homelessness. “We need to be asking: how do we create structures that prevent homelessness in our community?” Jenn says.
One way Beth-El focuses on bringing the community together is through their robust volunteer program. The center welcomes 250 volunteers every month, extending the philosophy that there is no hierarchy among center staff, volunteers, or residents. “We’re different but we’re equitable,” Jenn explains. “We focus on our similarities. You might serve the meals but you also sit down and eat with everyone too.”
Beth-El also fundraises a significant portion of their budget through development activities like the Trick-or-Trot 5k (Oct. 25) and other community events. In November, they will participate for the third time in “Barrels for a Cause,” a collaboration with the Milford Rape Crisis Center and Wines & More in which the Norwalk distillery, Sono 1420, produces a special edition whiskey in their name. “We’ll have a launch party at Stappa Vineyards,” Jenn says, “and the whiskey makes a great holiday gift.”
What’s Next
Posted behind me in Jenn’s office is an architectural rendering of 995 Bridgeport Ave., the location for the brand-new Beth-El facility in Milford. This facility will span more than 30,000 square feet (compared to the current building’s 8,000) and include elements like a 24-hour walk-in center and de-congregated housing to better accommodate families and married couples. Additionally, their permanent housing program, Liberty Point, will increase from five units to 16 to better serve the most vulnerable community members. Jenn underscores the importance of investing in programs like these, noting that “in 15 years of operation, not a single person who has gone through the permanent housing program has returned to homelessness.”
Reflections
Speaking with Jenn, one gets the sense that she is a wealth of knowledge but also an earnest leader of her organization. When I ask her what she has learned in her time at Beth-El and what she is thankful for, she inhales and widens her eyes. “So, so much,” she says. After a pause to gather her thoughts, she tells me, “First: nothing is more powerful than people’s stories. And second, overwhelmingly, people do want to solve for homelessness – they just need the tools, the knowledge, and the pathways to get there.”
As far as what she’s thankful for, her answer is threefold: 1) all the “moms” and mother-figures who personally helped her on her journey; 2) the founders of Beth-El for having the vision they did; and 3) the community’s trust. “There are moments when this work does not feel good,” she reflects, “and trust needs to be borrowed before we see results. The trust to see through the despair and darkness and buy into the hope that we are working toward solutions – ones we may not even see in our lifetimes. I’m so thankful for that trust. It allows us to do the work that we need to do.”
"Our goal is to be responsive to whatever need walks through the door."