After nearly a decade of decreases, homelessness in Connecticut rose slightly for the second year in a row in 2023 — likely a result of sustained fallout from the pandemic, experts said.
The latest point-in-time count shows that there were 3,015 people experiencing homelessness in January 2023, compared to 2,930 in January 2022. That’s close to a 3% increase, according to the report released Monday.
For eight years, the number of people experiencing homelessness in Connecticut had been on the decline. But last year saw a 13% increase compared to 2021. Providers fear the increases in the report are a harbinger for a rough winter.
Service providers said last year and in public testimony during the legislative session that pandemic-related economic problems persisted for many people with low incomes and had led to increases in homelessness. Evictions have also been on the rise, which can lead to homelessness for many families.
Rents have also risen in recent years, which has made it more difficult for many to find an apartment. Experts have attributed this largely to a lack of supply — Connecticut lacks about 89,000 units of housing that would be affordable and available to its lowest-income renters.
Connecticut saw increases in homelessness likely tied to income loss, the end of pandemic-era eviction protections and a lack of affordable housing, said Brennden Colbert, training program coordinator at Advancing CT Together, the group that led Connecticut’s count.
The point-in-time count is a federally mandated annual census of the homeless population in every state. It’s conducted over a 24-hour period in January. The results of the count help the federal government determine how to allocate certain funding for homeless services. But many say the report is likely an undercount.
Connecticut’s latest data show that the number of chronically homeless people in Connecticut stayed steady at 117. People who are chronically homeless are unhoused for at least a year or in multiple instances and have a serious mental illness, substance abuse disorder or physical disability. The population often has complicated needs.
Fourteen people who identified as transgender or gender non-conforming were unhoused, according to a summary of notable findings in the report. Studies have shown that the LGBTQ population is at disproportionate risk of experiencing homelessness and once they’re homeless are more likely to experience discrimination.
The report also shows that the number of people 24 years and under experiencing homelessness has increased nearly 8% since last year.
Read more: Report: Homelessness in CT increased for second year in a row