The held an investigative hearing Wednesday, on alleged child abuse and neglect at the in Harwinton. But no one from the Bridge Family Center showed up at the hearing.
Instead, Margaret Hann, Bridge Family Center鈥檚 executive director, sent a written testimony read by committee clerk Christian Talarski.
鈥淥n July 27, 2023, the Bridge was notified that our intake was closed as of May 31, 2023, and we had been placed on corrective action plan,鈥� Hann wrote. 鈥淭he increased acuity of the youth we serve, along with a statewide workforce crisis post pandemic has created a perfect storm for nonprofits.鈥�
Records show incidents of sexual assault as far back as 2021, according Vannessa Dorantes, commissioner, . The Bridge is licensed by the DCF to house girls removed from their homes as a result of abuse, neglect or other high-risk circumstances.
State Rep. Liz Linehan, the committee's co-chair, expressed concern over the long history of allegations at the facility for girls.
Linehan, a Democrat, asked Dorantes if the multiple incidents were typical of STAR homes.
鈥淲hat we saw that were atypical here, were those incidences that involved suspected child abuse or neglect that resulted in the special investigations,鈥� Dorantes said. 鈥淪o the SIU [Special Investigations Unit] investigations were out of the ordinary and were not normal.鈥�
No youth are currently living at the Harwinton center.
