Family Trust Focused on Building Programs and Policies to End Homelessness 

By Leila Javitz

Allen Whitley Melville, a resident of Norfolk for almost 30 years, died on Jan. 1 at age 85 . A memorial service in February at the Lyceum in Hartford highlighted her work for social justice and for the rights of the disadvantaged.

Allen Melville was born in Evanston, Illinois, studied at Sarah Lawrence College and in 1947 married Frank Melville, who served as a Navy corpsman and studied at Princeton before World War II. He died in 2007.

Frank and Allen Melville had a long and happy marriage and shared many interests, including a love for jazz and the out of doors. In: in their first few years in Norfolk they camped by a small pond on forestland where they eventually built their home and raised four sons. Their strongest shared concern was for civil liberties and justice for everyone, especially for the weak and dispossessed.

The Melvilles were strong supporters of the American Civil Liberties Union. Anthony Romero, National Director of the ACLU, became a close friend after being sequestered with them in a Washington D.C. hotel following 9/11.  Allen Melville and Romero maintained an animated phone and written correspondence over many years.

Both Melvilles devoted their last years to the work of the Melville Charitable Trust. Established in 1990, its focus from the beginning was on alleviating long-term homelessness with the hope that what could be accomplished in Connecticut might be a model for other states.

Allen Melville’s special concern was providing supportive housing for the mentally ill and promoting policies that permitted them  to live independently. She also worked on long-term education and policy making that resulted in true independence for the mentally ill as well as the homeless.

Perhaps the trust’s most handsome and visible example of supportive housing is Billings Forge, a restored factory in the Frog Hollow district of Hartford which has 98 units divided between low and middle income families. The property includes the Lyceum Conference Center, a Farmers Market garden, the Firebox restaurant and a community center  offering a variety of classes for all ages.

In the northwest corner, Prime Time House and the Susan B. Anthony Project in Torrington have been beneficiaries of the Melville Trust’s generosity. Prime Time House, a “club house” the Melvilles helped found, is a community-based rehabilitation program for the mentally ill that includes housing, job counseling and education.

Through grants from the Melville Trust’s Education Opportunity Fund, clients at the Susan B. Anthony Project, which serves domestically abused women and children, have been able to pursue academic courses and job training to help them become self-sufficient.

The Melville Charitable Trust has also helped affordable housing move forward in Norfolk. Through grants from LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) and Partnership for Strong Communities–both programs supported by the Trust–the Foundation for Norfolk Living has received expert help on all matters related to constructing affordable housing.

Allen Melville was an unusually modest and unassuming person,

a devoted mother and a loyal friend to many. She was also a person who profoundly cared. Her great gift was perhaps captured best by Rep. Christopher Murphy in a eulogy entered into the Congressional Record after her death: “Allen Melville was a terrific lady…she was a lifelong champion for those most in need.”