Is Leeway an Emergency Shelter?

No. Leeway is not an emergency shelter and does not offer walk-in or same-night beds. We provide permanent supportive housing for people living with HIV/AIDS, available by referral through Connecticut's Coordinated Access Network. If you need a shelter or a bed tonight in New Haven, call 211.

If you called our office and we could not help, this page tells you who can.

Where to get help tonight in New Haven

The City of New Haven lists its shelters as referral-based and directs people to call 211 to access them. Leeway cannot place you in one.

  1. Call 2-1-1 from any phone in Connecticut. From outside the state, call 1-800-203-1234. For relay service, dial 7-1-1.

  2. Press 3, then 1 if you are homeless or in a housing emergency. That routes you to a specialist trained to assess housing needs.

  3. Ask what is open tonight. If the specialist cannot find something immediately, they will book you a Coordinated Access Network assessment appointment in the community you choose.

211 is a program of United Way of Connecticut. It is free, confidential, answered 24 hours a day, and available in more than 150 languages. You can also chat at 211ct.org or text CTWARM to 898211.

Connecticut's Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services states plainly that calling 211 and completing the assessment does not guarantee housing. We would rather tell you that now than have you hear it later.

Warming centers are different. From mid-November through mid-April, New Haven operates warming centers on a walk-in, first-come first-served basis, and all five New Haven public libraries serve as warming centers during extreme cold in normal business hours. The city publishes current locations and hours at New Haven Shelters and Warming Centers.

What Leeway does provide

Leeway is a nonprofit HIV/AIDS care organization in New Haven, Connecticut, operating since 1995. We run four programs from one campus at 40 Albert Street.

Skilled Nursing: 30 beds providing 24-hour clinical care, including infectious disease management, short-term rehabilitation, wound care, and palliative care. Anyone 16 years of age or older, who has HIV/AIDS, and who needs 24-hour skilled nursing services is eligible for admission.

Leeway Residential Care Home: 30 Residential Care Beds with supervised living, medication assistance and case management for residents who no longer need 24-hour nursing. Open to individuals living with HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, or related chronic conditions.

Permanent Supportive Housing: 41 independent housing units across Greater New Haven, paired with onsite support services, for adults and families living with HIV/AIDS. Most residents pay a portion of their income toward rent, with subsidies covering the rest.

Community Case Management: Help with benefits, healthcare navigation, and the social services that keep people in care.

None of these is emergency accommodation. Skilled nursing and residential care both run through an application, an Admissions Committee review and a waiting list. Placement on the waiting list does not guarantee admission to Leeway; it indicates only that the potential resident will be considered for admission. Housing runs through 211 and the Coordinated Access Network, not through us.

How to reach Leeway

There are two doors, and they are not interchangeable.

For skilled nursing or the Residential Care Home: Referrals are accepted from hospitals, home care agencies, outpatient clinics, as well as from private physicians. Call our Admissions Office at (203) 865-0068, or apply for admission online.

For permanent supportive housing: All housing referrals go through Connecticut's central intake.

  1. Call 2-1-1 in Connecticut.

  2. Ask for a Coordinated Access Network (CAN) housing appointment.

  3. Mention Leeway during your assessment, and note any needs related to HIV/AIDS or specialized nursing care.

United Way of Greater New Haven serves as the backbone of the Greater New Haven Coordinated Access Network. You can read how the network operates at United Way of Greater New Haven.

Who to call for what

These organizations are not affiliated with Leeway. We list them because people call us looking for what they provide.

Shelter and housing

211 Connecticut. Dial 2-1-1, press 3 then 1. Free, confidential, 24 hours. 211ct.org

City of New Haven, Office of Housing and Homelessness Services. Current shelter and warming center locations, and the navigation hubs that offer meals, showers, laundry, health services and housing navigation. newhavenct.gov

Liberty Community Services. 129 Church Street, New Haven. (203) 495-7600. Supportive housing, rapid rehousing, homelessness prevention, and the Safe Haven day program. libertycs.org

HIV care, testing and prevention

For HIV testing, PrEP, or outpatient HIV care, these organizations serve Greater New Haven.

APNH: A Place to Nourish Your Health. 1302 Chapel Street, New Haven. (203) 624-0947. Food pantry, case management, HIV prevention, free and confidential STI testing, free HIV self-tests, PrEP services, behavioral health, pharmacy services and support groups. Serving Greater New Haven since 1983. apnh.org

Fair Haven Community Health Care. 374 Grand Avenue, New Haven. (203) 777-7411. Adult and pediatric primary care, including HIV/AIDS care. fhchc.org

Food

Connecticut Foodshare. (203) 469-5000. Pantry locator and mobile food pantry schedule. ctfoodshare.org/find-food

APNH. Runs a food pantry at 1302 Chapel Street. (203) 624-0947.

211 Connecticut. Search food pantries near you at 211ct.org.

Benefits and legal help

211 Connecticut. Help finding benefits programs, including SNAP, cash assistance and healthcare coverage. Dial 2-1-1. 211ct.org

New Haven Legal Assistance Association. 205 Orange Street, New Haven. (203) 946-4811. Free civil legal help for people who cannot afford a lawyer. nhlegal.org

Common questions

Is Leeway a homeless shelter? No. Leeway is not an emergency shelter and does not offer walk-in or same-night beds. Leeway is a nonprofit HIV/AIDS care organization running skilled nursing, residential care, permanent supportive housing and community case management. For shelter tonight, call 2-1-1 and press 3, then 1.

Can I stay at Leeway tonight? No. Leeway has no walk-in intake. Skilled nursing and the Residential Care Home require an application, an Admissions Committee review and placement on a waiting list. Housing goes through the Coordinated Access Network. Call 2-1-1 for tonight.

Does Leeway offer housing for people who are homeless? Leeway operates 41 independent housing units of permanent supportive housing for adults and families living with HIV/AIDS in Greater New Haven, and some residents come to that housing from homelessness. It is long-term housing, not crisis accommodation, and every referral comes through 211 and the Coordinated Access Network.

Do I have to have HIV or AIDS to get help from Leeway? Admission to skilled nursing requires an HIV/AIDS diagnosis, along with being 16 years of age or older and needing 24-hour skilled nursing services. The Residential Care Home is open to individuals living with HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, or related chronic conditions. If you are unsure whether you qualify, call (203) 865-0068 and ask.

Do residents pay rent? Yes. Most residents of Leeway's permanent supportive housing pay a portion of their income toward rent, with subsidies covering the rest. For skilled nursing and residential care, all applicants must have a source of payment available to cover the cost of care at Leeway. Sources of payment include, but are not limited to, Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance, or other sources of payment.

Where is Leeway? 40 Albert Street, New Haven, CT 06511, in the Cedar Hill neighborhood, off I-91 Exit 6. We serve New Haven and surrounding towns including Hamden, East Haven, and West Haven.

Who do I call at Leeway? For skilled nursing or residential care admissions, call (203) 865-0068. For general questions, email info@leeway.net. For housing, call 2-1-1 and ask for a Coordinated Access Network appointment.

40 Albert Street | (203) 865-0068 | info@leeway.net