Hyland, ‘pillar of community’ in human services, to retire
Norwich — Thomas Hyland was hired to run the fledgling Martin House program for individuals with mental illness and substance abuse in May 1982 and was given a $12,000 budget.
“I spent half of it immediately to renovate a building at Norwich Hospital,” Hyland said, reflecting on his 33 years at the helm of Martin House and 23 as executive director of the Thames River Community Service, Inc.
He will retire from both programs on Dec. 31.
Martin House started with nine employees and moved to a building in the state’s Uncas on Thames campus in Norwich in 1998, where it remains. It now has 57 employees and a $2.2 million annual budget.
“The real story isn’t our growth,” Hyland, 70, said. “It’s the difference Martin House has made in people’s lives, and the changes in the system.”
When Hyland started, Martin House, Reliance House in Norwich, and a small program in New London stood alone as housing programs for people with mental illness.
Hyland said he is proud how the region came together to create an extensive network of support programs that connect people to services through the 211 Infoline telephone system.
“The goal is to house people as quickly as possible,” Hyland said. “… And now we’re really seeing the end of homelessness in the region, and I’m really proud of that.”
More than 850 people have moved through Martin House during Hyland’s tenure. The program has 55 separate rooms for residents who pay $555 monthly and receive three meals a day and 24-hour services.
Hyland said 30 percent of residents have outside jobs, and 26 per-
cent work at Martin House. Six years ago, Hyland said, only 14 percent had outside jobs.
Thames River Community Services Inc., also at Uncas on Thames, has three separate programs.
Thames River Family Program has 24 apartments for mothers and their children with educational, employment and social supports. Families can stay up to two years.
The agency’s Next Step Supportive Housing program has nine rental housing vouchers for families struggling to keep their apartments and offers support to help them keep their apartments.
The Rapid Rehousing program collaborates with Thames Valley Council for Community Action to help move people out of shelters to permanent housing and work with them for a year to maintain their homes.
In January, Paula Oberg will become executive director at Martin House and Kathy Allen will take the helm at Thames River Community Services. Both women now serve as director of services and operations at their respective facilities.
“Tom wooed me over here from another program I was with and loved,” Allen said. “Tom was very convincing about Thames River Family Program, and he had the passion. It’s been 13½ years, and it’s the best job I’ve ever had, the most fulfilling job.”
Hyland said 30 women with children who came to Thames River Family Program homeless now own their own homes. The program successfully reunited 78 children in state custody with their mothers.
Beverly Goulet, who retired in June 2014 after 29 years as director of Norwich Human Services, said she and Hyland served together on numerous committees, drove to public hearings in Hartford and lobbied congressmen.
“We really made sure they got the message,” Goulet said.
Goulet said Hyland always hired the right staff, “and made sure things were done right.”
Lee Ann Gomes, who succeeded Goulet as Norwich Human Services director, credited both Hyland and Goulet for bringing the region to the point where ending homelessness is within reach.
“Tom Hyland is a pillar of the community,” Gomes said. “The things he has been able to accomplish are unparalleled. It will be a tremendous loss of institutional knowledge. He, like Bev Goulet, is one of the most important people in the region and the state in human services.”
David Burnett, the longtime executive director at Reliance House, which serves people THOMAS J. HYLAND FUND In honor of Thomas Hyland’s retirement on Dec. 31 as executive director of Martin House and Thames River Community Services Inc., Martin House is creating the Thomas J. Hyland Fund to support residents at Martin House who cannot afford program fees. Donations may be made online or by check made out to Martin House with a notation for the Thomas Hyland Fund. Send checks to Martin House, P.O. Box 857, Norwich CT 06360. For more information, call Martin House at (860) 889-6150 to be added to their mailing list.
with mental illness, said the small private agencies arose after the state failed to take advantage of the Kennedy administration’s push in the early 1960s to fund community-based mental health centers nationwide.
Connecticut opened only one center, and most funding went to the three state hospitals.
“When Tom arrived in 1982, things were still bloody awful,” Burnett said.
But a new state Department of Mental Health commissioner turned things around, Burnett said, and by 1988, the state ranked eighth best for community-based mental health services with a “patchwork” of small private service agencies.
“I think they’ve done a wonderful job and have made a huge difference in people’s lives,” Burnett said of Martin House.
He called Martin House a key player when Norwich Hospital closed and Martin House, his Reliance House staff and Norwich Human Services worked hard to launch successful efforts to find housing for homeless people.
“After closing Norwich Hospital, it gradually got better and better,” Burnett said. “We learned how to successfully help people live better lives. In the early days, the people would go back in the hospital and back out. Gradually that’s ended, and we’ve learned how to help people be successful with their lives.”