On Wednesday evening, Hartford officials announced that an agreement had been signed with the University of Hartford to house first responders and other essential employees during the coronavirus pandemic. The University will provide free housing to 200 first responders and other essential employees beginning this weekend. Mayor Luke Bronin expressed his gratitude to “the team at the University of Hartford that has worked with us closely and quickly to put this partnership in place.” This housing opportunity is meant to provide a peace of mind to the firefighters, police officers, doctors, and staff who work at the city’s isolation facilities for the homeless. University President, Gregory Woodward, said that the University of Hartford is proud to be partners with the city of Hartford and serve as a resource during their time of need. “Hartford’s first responders are doing extraordinary work on the front lines and we are committed to supporting them in any way we can, as quickly as we can.” Essential workers throughout the country are risking their lives every day in order to protect everybody else, and the University of Hartford is doing its part to support these endeavors. According to the mayor “Here in Hartford, we are still probably a few weeks away from our peak,” with estimates reporting that the peak will occur in late April. “Our goal is to keep that peak as low as possible,” Bronin said. He warned that the city needs to be prepared and part of this is making sure that those exposed on the frontlines have a place to stay where they do not expose their families.