Dress for Success Hartford County

Founded in 1998, Dress for Success Hartford, in 2023 served 128 disadvantaged women and answered a vital need for career-building initiatives after welfare reform was instituted. The welfare overhaul in 1996 set time restrictions for public assistance recipients, which in turn forced heads of households into low-wage jobs. Because of the rapid increase in the number of poor, working women, they had become a very underserved segment of society. Through our programs and services, Dress for Success Hartford was able to answer the needs of a growing, poverty-stricken workforce.our organization stems the underlying cause of cyclical poverty through grassroots programs that produce long-term solutions. By offering professional apparel, career development services, and ongoing employment retention programs we address the needs of our clients and promote economic security and self-sufficiency.in order to ensure that we are serving those most in need of our support, every client is referred to us through a network of partner agencies. These agencies include a variety of educational institutions, reentry programs for the formerly incarcerated, homeless and domestic violence shelters, rehabilitation programs, job training programs, and more. 120 partner agencies from the following ct counties refer women to Dress for Success Hartford: Hartford, litchfield, middlesex, new haven, new london, tolland, and windham.85% of the cost of our rented facility is allocated to program expenses. Most of the facility rental cost was covered by contributions.

Clothing, jewelry and hair care distributed at estimated value (150 clients x $250/client).