New Haven Hired Leaders for Housing and Resilience

The city added two new officials to manage homelessness, mental health, and substance use support strategies.

Updated on Oct. 14, 2026 in People

New Haven Hired Leaders for Housing and Resilience

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New Haven recently appointed Christina McMillan as director of community resilience and Kelly Craft as coordinator for the Office of Housing and Homeless Services. These roles aim to address gaps in social service programs for vulnerable city residents.

Why it matters

The city created these positions to fill vacancies that had persisted since April and June 2026, signaling a push to stabilize administrative leadership in social services. Businesses in the sector should monitor how these new appointments shift local policy strategies.

Kelly Craft brings 1 decade of experience in serving vulnerable populations to her new role, filling a vacancy left since April 2026. Christina McMillan assumes the resilience director role after a vacancy that spanned since June 2026.

The players

Christina McMillan

Former chief program officer at the Chrysalis Center and newly appointed director of community resilience.

Kelly Craft

Former director of the Coordinated Access Network for the Middlesex, Meriden, and Wallingford region.

Justin Elicker

The Mayor of New Haven who leads the city administration and announced these personnel appointments.

The details

The city of New Haven utilized a standard recruitment process to fill these critical administrative roles. Christina McMillan will oversee programs targeting mental illness and substance use, while Kelly Craft is tasked with developing strategies specifically aimed at reducing local homelessness. These hires replace staff who exited the city earlier in 2026.

April 2026: The Office of Housing and Homeless Services coordinator role became vacant.
June 2026: The director of community resilience position became vacant.
October 5, 2026: Kelly Craft began her new position as coordinator.
October 13, 2026: Christina McMillan began her position as director.

Market Landscape

The hiring of a coordinator with experience from the Coordinated Access Network aligns the city with broader regional service frameworks. This move follows a period of administrative turnover that left key social service functions vacant throughout the middle of 2026.

Operators in social services or housing should prepare for potential changes in policy requirements as these new directors set their agendas. Local business owners should watch for updated reporting standards or engagement opportunities as the city fills these long-standing vacancies.

The takeaway

The appointment of permanent leadership in these roles marks a stabilization in the city's human services strategy. Stakeholders should track upcoming public policy meetings for early indicators of new initiatives or compliance shifts.