In 1889, Augusta Williams founded the Shelter for Women (SFW) in a room near the Hartford railroad station. Augusta wanted to shelter “transient women”, young girls who came to the city looking for work who had no place to live. Incorporated as a nonprofit in 1901, Gray Lodge moved to its current location, the Calvin Day House, in Hartford’s Asylum Hill neighborhood in 1929.

SFW changed and improved services continually throughout the 20th century to meet the changing needs of girls. By the early 1980’s Gray Lodge added educational, therapeutic, and vocational programs to better serve at-risk girls and their families. In 1987, SFW opened Alison Gill Lodge, a group home in Manchester. Alison Gill Lodge helps girls and young women learn independent living skills as they transition to adulthood.

In 2005, an extensive renovation project that preserved the historic architecture of the Calvin Day House transported Gray Lodge into the 21st century. The spacious school wing, newly equipped, provides high school courses for girls at Gray Lodge and can also accommodate six day students from neighboring towns.

Both Gray Lodge and Alison Gill Lodge also connect girls and their families with services and activities provided by other community organizations.