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Concerts organized by the nonprofit collect donations to support homeless people across Connecticut. Saturday’s live show at Parkville Market will feature R&B music. HARTFORD, Conn. — As Connecticut endures its harshest winter in more than a decade, the Hip Hop for the Homeless nonprofit continues using music to deliver resources to those who need them
Concerts organized by the nonprofit collect donations to support homeless people across Connecticut. Saturday’s live show at Parkville Market will feature R&B music.
HARTFORD, Conn. — As Connecticut endures its harshest winter in more than a decade, the Hip Hop for the Homeless nonprofit continues using music to deliver resources to those who need them most.
The nonprofit organizes events that raise money and collect donations for homeless people across the state.
The next Hip Hop for the Homeless concert is this Saturday, Feb. 28, at 8 p.m. at Parkville Market on Park Street in Hartford.
The show is free to attend, but bringing donations for the homeless is encouraged.
Saturday’s event is supported by the Greater Hartford Arts Council and will include performances by several local R&B and soul artists.
As Connecticut’s homeless population looks to survive this brutal stretch of weather, Saturday’s show couldn’t come at a better time.
“No one was prepared for it to be this cold for this long,” said Joseph Battaglia, the Hip Hop for the Homeless founder who is better known as “Joey Batts.”
Battaglia is a hip hop performer and teacher with nearly two decades of experience leading the classroom. After many years with Hartford Public Schools, he recently began teaching English at Howell Cheney Technical High School in Manchester.
In 2014, Battaglia launched Hip Hop for the Homeless after witnessing the impact firsthand that homelessness had on his students.
He used connections he made as a hip hop fanatic and musician to put together the first benefit concerts.
From modest beginnings, Hip Hop for the Homeless has grown tremendously.
Battaglia describes its success as the “gold star” of his career.
“Starting Hip Hop for the Homeless 12 years ago, I knew that I wanted to help out, and I knew that it was a serious issue that was impacting the youth,” Battaglia said. “I just didn’t think that so many people would become attached to our mission and follow our mission.”
Each December, the nonprofit’s annual concert series brings together talented artists from across the state at a variety of venues. Battaglia says the most recent series in late 2025 raised more money and gathered more resources than ever before.
Since then, however, two massive snowstorms and a month of dangerously cold weather have struck the region. Shelters throughout Connecticut are being pushed to their limits, and the demand for resources is as high as it has been in a long time.
The elements are life-threatening to those who are overexposed to them, and Battaglia and his team are acting to ensure no one is left outdoors.
“We’re just constantly trying to get the word out to people to [let them] know those folks still need assistance and those folks still need help,” he said. “That’s been part of our mission statement for forever; to help mobilize people who might not necessarily think about philanthropy a lot and might not think about the impact that they could potentially have on their community.”
Whether it’s in the classroom or on the stage, Battaglia emphasized the importance of being a “pillar in the fight.”
He acknowledged that many people have a desire to help, but some don’t know where to start.
Hip Hop for the Homeless was created to provide that direction by encouraging people who love local rap and R&B music to give back.
“I think people do want someone to say, ‘This is how you can help. Let me show you how you can help,’ whether that’s a coach or a teacher or a sensa or a mentor or a guiding guardian angel,” Battaglia said.
While Saturday evening’s show will be lighter on the hip hop than many of the nonprofit’s previous events, its purpose remains the same.
Battaglia pledged that money and donations raised during Saturday’s concert will be delivered directly to shelters and organizations that are “boots on the ground” and working directly with the state’s homeless population.
More information regarding this weekend’s show can be found on Parkville Market’s website here.
The list of expected performers includes Two-Tone, Ysanne and Quoron Walker. The event will be hosted by Teddy Ren.
The Hip Hop for the Homeless Facebook page can be seen here.
Dalton Zbierski is a story desk editor and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com.
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