Publication Date
Spring 5-11-2026
Document Type
Senior Integrative Project
Abstract
How can volunteers engage meaningfully and ethically within a system that does not always center the voices of the people it serves? This Senior Integrative Project (SIP) explores the College’s long-term partnership with the New London Homeless Hospitality Center (NLHHC), and how campus-community partnerships (CCPs) can build resilient and civically minded societies. Drawing on experiences volunteering and developing collaborative projects with the NLHHC, it reflects on the challenges and possibilities for improving the guests’ experiences. Using a sociological approach, this paper analyzes how organizations like the NLHHC are products of bureaucratic systems, and emphasize the importance of centering community voices as a method of resistance. This research is grounded in theories from the book Radical Help by Hilary Cottam, as well as literature on CCPs. It concludes by reflecting on the impacts of the current political context, especially on resources that the NLHHC relies on, and how communities can focus on collaborative solutions to create inclusive systems of care.
Recommended Citation
Koester, Lucy, "Ethical Participation in an Unethical System: Partnering with the New London Homeless Hospitality Center" (2026). Program in Community Action (PICA). 9.
https://digitalcommons.conncoll.edu/pica/9
Included in
The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author.