In the midst of a spirited game of Bingo among a group of senior citizens at The Shack, there was an interruption. It was U.S. Senator Chris Murphy stopping by?—?to get an up-close look at what makes the West Hills community center work so well.

That Friday afternoon stop was one of multiple by Murphy, who is running for re-election against Republican challenger Matthew Corey, Green Party candidate Justin Paglino, and Cheaper Gas Groceries Party candidate Robert Hyde. 

Murphy came to New Haven on Friday for stops at MakeHaven and ClimateHaven on Chapel Street downtown before heading out to the Shack, all less than two weeks before election day on Nov. 5. Early voting has already begun.

The Shack is a 333 Valley St. intergenerational community center resurrected by the visionary West Hills Alder Honda Smith and her team of neighbors starting in 2021. The result is a place for everyone to play, work, eat, sleep, commune?—?all toward, as Smith has said, ?“giving our youth?—?giving everybody?—?a chance at a future.”

“We have a small, dedicated senior group here and we have activities that we enjoy every day,” senior program coordinator Dr. Carolyn Kinder, who had been calling out Bingo numbers, told the senator. ?“We feel fellowship with one another and if we feel lonely, when we get together, we all kind of cure that problem. Plus we interact a lot with the young people.”

The junior senator from Connecticut toured the laundry facilities where kids without access to a washing machine or dryer learn to wash their clothes; the food pantry stocked with community donations; and the 59-bed United States Department of Agriculture-licensed urban farm with kale, tomatoes, and strawberries, among other crops, that feed both the denizens of The Shack and the larger community.

He stopped at a classroom?–?the setting for EMT training programs and financial literacy workshops, according to Smith?–?where ninth grader Leyah Morrison told him about the one-on-one tutoring in algebra she gets from a retired math teacher twice a week. He met David Coardes, an artist who painted a mural of Honda Smith on a front wall, and spoke with Jamire Casteel and Isaiah Clark in the recording studio about their musical interests.

Following the tour, Murphy and his modest entourage headed for the Shack Cafe, where an animated group of 40 awaited. Initially, Smith told him, they envisioned the cafe for snacks. That shifted to meals when it became clear that the youth weren’t getting the sustenance they needed at home. 

The senator asked the kids why they liked coming to The Shack. 

“I get fed, of course, but they also have classes for kids to go to,” said Cayden Brooks. There are courses in cooking, coding, and art, as well as in media production, life skills, and the Code Red program?–?led by Westville Alder and Majority Leader Richard Furlow?–?which prepares kids for the real world. ?“If you need help with your homework, they got tutors, math tutors, English tutors.” 

“I think The Shack is really welcoming,” said Mi’Love Salmond. ?“It’s like a safe space. Miss Honda looks out for us.” 

Nevaeh James agreed. ?“Not just Miss Honda,” she said. ?“You got friends looking out for you, adults looking out for you.”

Another boy highlighted the isolation exacted by the pandemic. ?“A lot of kids didn’t know how to act with each other,” he said. ?“This helps us in that.” 

Murphy slid out his phone. ?“It’s also these, right? It’s what pulls kids away from socializing with each other, and that’s why these centers are even more important today.”

After a pause, Smith asked the group to tell Murphy the rule regarding phones at The Shack.

“No phones out while we’re working,” they chorused. 

“I’ve heard about The Shack, but to see it in person, see the seniors and the kids all enjoying their activities and learning from one another, it’s inspiring,” said Murphy, as he was leaving. ?“We should have more of these in the city, throughout the state. It’s a model.” 

New Haven State Rep. Toni Walker echoed his take. ?“This is the formula for a community center right here,” she said. ?“It’s showing that all ages have something to contribute to the community, and it goes back to the centers we used to have, where it’s ours, and not something someone gave to us.” 

Former Mayor Toni Harp sounded a similar refrain. ?“Especially in the West Hills community, our neighborhoods are shells of themselves,” she said. ?“I like the development downtown but it doesn’t help these neighborhoods.

“It’s Honda’s ability to collaborate with everybody and to stay focused on what’s needed for this community,” she added, as the sound of Kinder calling out Bingo numbers drifted in from the activities room. ?“That’s what has The Shack emerging as a vibrant place for seniors, kids, for everybody.”