MIDDLETOWN—When the Mill at Middletown opens in late spring 2016, the city will have another option for in-demand affordable housing and a program aimed at helping people move off of public assistance and into the work force.
The old hat and silk manufacturing facility at the corner of Mill and Harding streets has stood empty for the last 30 years. The Mill at Middletown project will adapt this historic structure into 42 residential apartments, a 1,700 square-foot community room, and the Fresh Start Café.
Training Café
The first floor café is the star of the housing complex. People who work downtown will appreciate the healthy breakfast and lunch selections priced under $10, but the café has another job—training people to manage retail food outlets.
Promotional material by the non-profit Regional Economic Community Action Program (RECAP) describes the eatery as part of the organization’s welfare-to-work initiative: “a job readiness program designed to help individuals who require public assistance to meet their needs and become self-reliant by giving them the technical and soft (life) skills needed in today’s job market.”
