"Affordability and financial hardship result in so many more social issues than people realize."
Scott knows how it feels to be unable to afford basic necessities. When he knocks on a stranger’s door to talk about affordability, he brings that experience with him. It allows him to connect with other working class people and often leads to conversations that stay on his mind long after he’s left their porch.
Scott Robbins is a canvasser for the New Britain Action Team. He has spent the last year canvassing communities across Connecticut and talking to residents about the issues that affect their daily lives. Scott was born and raised in Hartford and now lives in New Britain. He’s spent his life caring for his community through listening, mentoring, and showing up.
Brianna: Before you came to The Connecticut Project, what kind of work were you doing?
Scott: I guess you could say my role as a child care provider prior to this. There's a level of advocacy in that... the role I played as a child care provider, as a tutor, as a mentor—that is somewhat in relation to what we do here at The Connecticut Project. It was something that I'm already familiar with and something I love and something that's a part of me.
Advocacy has been a consistent theme in Scott’s life. While sharing details from his experience working in child care, he talked about wanting to be a positive male role model in children’s lives.
Scott: Early childhood is crucial in terms of, you know, learning certain skills and learning how to be self-sufficient, rather than subservient. And being able to transition into adulthood, because I feel like a lot of kids in society now aren't being equipped and prepared for the real world in certain aspects.
Scott’s commitment to helping others naturally carried into his work as a canvasser.
Scott found The Connecticut Project through a mutual friend and canvass lead, Madi. He admits that he had no idea what the organization did at first. After sitting with Brigith Rivera, Senior Field Organizer, to learn about the mission he realized it aligned with everything he already cared about.
Brianna: What about that conversation made you want to join?
Scott: As an activist anyway, I felt like I could be an integral component to the organization. I'm passionate about the improvement in the quality of life in the inner cities... seeing the disparities and the areas that need improvement that most people ignore. I was really excited to begin a new chapter. I was ready to transition and do something… I feel like it’s bigger and more impactful.
For Scott, the cost of living crisis is more than something he discusses at the doors. It’s an issue he’s been impacted by personally.
Brianna: Can you share a time when affordability affected your own life?
Scott: I was living on my own. I was able to afford my rent and bills, and then I got laid off from work… everything went downhill pretty much from there. Trying to find another job was, like, impossible. And that's kind of like when inflation really began to kick… and the cost of living was beginning to increase. That's when I lost my apartment. Make a long story short, I got evicted.
Scott had no choice but to couch surf, experience homelessness, and rely on programs like HUSKY and SNAP to get by.
His family’s story reflects that same experience. Scott’s grandmother immigrated from Jamaica to Hartford, Connecticut. She created a career at Hartford Hospital and eventually was able to retire in Florida. But even after decades of hard work, rising costs forced her to sell her home because a pension alone was not enough to sustain her.
Affordability is personal to everyone. Canvassing with The Connecticut Project has broadened the way Scott views these issues. He hears stories from residents experiencing many of the same struggles he faced.
Brianna: How has canvassing changed your understanding of affordability?
Scott: Being able to interact with people from different neighborhoods, different ethnicities, and different walks of life and realizing that we all have so much in common. People's financial hardship being used as a weapon against them is something that I've really come to notice and realize even deeper versus when I was a childcare provider. But even things like childcare expenses, that's another issue that's squeezing out a lot of families. Affordability and financial hardship result in so many more social issues than people realize.
While canvassing in New Britain, he met a woman whose disability forced her out of work. Unable to support her daughter, she made the heartbreaking decision to send her away to live with family. As she shared her story, she cried.
Scott: She was really happy that we were there... just to talk to her... she seemed like she really didn't have anybody to show concern.
Her story stayed with him. Moments like these are what remind us that canvassing is powerful because it allows people to feel heard. Scott approaches every conversation with empathy and respect.
Brianna: How do you approach conversations with people from different backgrounds?
Scott: I always make people feel included. I always find common ground. I show them that we're in this together. This isn't about me as an employee for The Connecticut Project. It's about all of us. We're in the same boat.
“We shouldn't have to work 40, 50, 60 hours a week just to pay for essentials, you know? We should be able to work and have a life beyond just working every day.”
Organizing is about building power together. Scott finds opportunities to address the root causes behind many of the struggles people are facing through the campaigns he talks about at the doors.
Staying motivated isn’t always easy. For Scott, there are days when the work feels overwhelming. There are long walks, difficult conversations, and moments when change feels slow.
“It feels like we’re putting out a forest fire with a teaspoon of water,” he says.
Brianna: What keeps you going?
Scott: I always go back to my grandmother and the hardships and obstacles she faced.
He spoke about her resilience, the sacrifices his family made, and the example they set for him. Scott also reflects on his own journey, becoming alcohol-free four years ago and surrounding himself with good friends who keep him accountable and encourage him to grow.
Every conversation and each story shared is a contribution to something larger than one person. These experiences remind Scott why he keeps showing up.
At The Connecticut Project, affordability is about a Connecticut where everyone can thrive. Working class people deserve the opportunity to build a life beyond survival. Join the fight for an affordable Connecticut! Take action by getting involved with your local Community Action Team today.
