Two of Connecticut’s most impactful behavioral health organizations announced Friday their plans to merge operations in the coming months.
Wellmore, a Waterbury-based nonprofit, and The Village for Families & Children, a nonprofit social service agency in Hartford, are the two entities that will come together.
Both operations specialize in offering behavioral health services.
Wellmore also provides substance abuse treatment, while The Village delivers early childhood education and foster care services to at-risk children and families.
Approximately 370 people are employed by Wellmore across its 12 service sites. The nonprofit dates to 1951 and serves a 49-town region in Western Connecticut.
The Village was founded in 1809 and has helped many generations of community members.
It currently employs over 600 staff members, including clinicians, social workers and educators, who aid people from all over the Greater Hartford region.
RELATED: The Village for Families & Children is getting $2.5 million to support mental health services
Wellmore CEO Gary Steck described this opportunity as “incredible” for the nonprofit’s clients and staff, and he anticipates it will benefit all involved.
“By combining forces, we can build on the success of each organization and deliver even more for our clients. This is truly a joyful moment for all of us who are devoted to Greater Waterbury and the mental health of its families,” Steck said, in a release.
Hector Glynn, CEO of The Village, echoed this sentiment in that document, noting that the merger is a win-win for both organizations and their clients.
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“This about capitalizing on what we each do well, learning from each other and most importantly – using our combined resources to invest in programs that transform lives,” Glynn said.
Both leaders say their programs are well-aligned.
Size and scope of their services vary, but each nonprofit assists with school readiness, childhood education, home-based counseling, support for parents and caregivers, substance use prevention and recovery support.
They also oversee Urgent Crisis Centers and mobile crisis operations for young people.
RELATED: The Village of Families & Children names cancer survivor as ‘Girl Within Young Woman of the Year’
Each nonprofit’s respective Board of Directors has given its approval for the merger, but the final sign-off by the boards and stakeholders will not happen until the end of June.
If and when the merger becomes final, Steck will transition into a new role as The Village’s Chief Impact Officer, while Glynn will remain president and CEO of The Village.
Fortunately, the merger is not expected to result in any layoffs.
Officials assure that the 10,000 clients who the Wellmore nonprofit assists annually will continue receiving services, as will the 20,000 families that The Village serves each year.
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Dalton Zbierski is a story desk editor and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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