Youth Continuum Closes After 59 Years; East Haven Group Home for Sale at $499K

East Haven's Bradley House Group Home Up for Sale After Youth Continuum Shutdown

The Bradley House therapeutic group home at 300 Bradley Street in East Haven is listed for sale at approximately $599,000 after Youth Continuum, the nonprofit that operated it for decades, shut down at the end of November 2025.

The closure of Youth Continuum, which was founded in 1966 and served as Connecticut's most comprehensive provider of services for youth experiencing homelessness, left 61 young people without housing and support services, according to New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker. The organization served approximately 500 youth annually across its programs.

The East Haven property is listed as a four-bedroom, three-bathroom home on 1.9 acres with a wraparound deck and detached shed, according to its SmartMLS listing. For years, it served a different purpose: a structured residential program for males ages 14 to 21 referred by the Connecticut Department of Children and Families.

North Haven Group Home Also Shuttered

Youth Continuum also operated Helen's House, a therapeutic group home at 3 Potter Road in North Haven, which followed the same model as Bradley House — DCF-referred males ages 14 to 21 in a structured residential setting designed to teach skills for self-sufficiency.

Helen's House has also been shuttered.

Both facilities provided housing, counseling, substance abuse evaluation, and life skills training. Youth in the programs attended school in their local communities.

Two Years of Deficits Sank the 59-Year-Old Nonprofit

Youth Continuum's board announced the closure in October 2025 after two consecutive years of significant financial deficits, NBC Connecticut reported. Cash flow had turned negative, and efforts to secure additional funding failed.

The organization became a subsidiary of Clifford Beers Community Health Partners in August 2021 but continued operating as a separate 501(c)(3). Interim Executive Director Yari Ijeh oversaw the wind-down after former Executive Director Tim Maguire departed in April 2025.

Ijeh told reporters at the time that there was "a plan for every single one" of the youth in the organization's care. The state issued a request for proposals to identify replacement service providers, and United Way of Greater New Haven assisted with rehousing efforts.

Of the 20 young adults receiving housing at the time of closure, five had been transitioned to new homes by early reports. The remaining youth were being matched with new providers, though the current status of those placements is unclear.

$7.5 Million East Haven-Connected Youth Shelter Plan Is Dead

Youth Continuum's closure also killed a long-planned youth homeless shelter at 924 Grand Avenue in New Haven, where the organization had its offices. The project was first proposed in 2018 as a joint venture between Youth Continuum and Y2Y Network, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based organization.

Over seven years, the project accumulated more than $6.5 million in committed funding: $2.5 million from the Connecticut Department of Housing, $1.5 million from private philanthropists, $500,000 in additional state funds, $1.2 million from private donors, and $500,000 in ARPA funds approved by the New Haven Board of Alders in December 2024.

The total project cost had risen to nearly $7.5 million from an initial $4.5 million estimate in 2019, driven by COVID-related supply chain disruptions, material cost increases, and a state-mandated redesign. The project needed an $875,000 Community Investment Fund grant to close the gap. That grant was denied.

The shelter was designed to house 12 young adults ages 18 to 24, with a basement warming center for walk-in overnight stays. Alder Carmen Rodriguez, who championed the ARPA allocation, said at the time: "This is costly, but not more costly than having 18- to 24-year-olds on the streets."

Connecticut Youth Homelessness Rising as Services Shrink

The closure comes as Connecticut's homeless population rose nearly 10 percent in 2025, the fourth consecutive year of growth. Close to 60 young people in New Haven were experiencing homelessness at the time of Youth Continuum's shutdown, with nine on a shelter waitlist, according to city data.

Youth Continuum's drop-in center at 924 Grand Avenue received nearly 800 visits over a three-month span before closing, serving roughly 100 unique young people per quarter.

A February 2026 DataHaven report warned that proposed federal policy changes could triple Connecticut's homeless population, with more than 6,000 residents in permanent supportive housing at risk.

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