A bipartisan group of more than a dozen lawmakers called for more money for Connecticut’s homelessness response system on Monday, even as the governor and legislative leaders say it’s unlikely there will be room in the budget to satisfy requests for more funding.
The Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness on Monday reiterated what members say is a critical need for additional funds as the number of unhoused people rises, and many are unable to access shelters that are working with stretched-thin resources. They’re asking for an additional $20 million each year to annualize cold-weather funding and strengthen shelter outreach, among other initiatives.
Several lawmakers also called for more state resources on Monday, two days before the legislative session begins and the governor unveils his proposed budget changes.
“We are experiencing a historic rate of homelessness at this point,” said Rep. Eleni Kavros DeGraw, D-Avon, who is co-chair of the Planning and Development Committee. “I know when I am talking to advocates, they are saying things like ‘I’ve been doing this my entire career that spans more than 30 years and I have never seen anything like this.’ So when we say that it is serious and that we need to address it, we aren’t kidding.”
After nearly a decade of dropping numbers, the state has seen increases in the number of people experiencing homelessness for the past two years. Nearly 4,000 people are in homeless shelters, and about 800 are unsheltered — living in cars or other places not meant for human habitation, on the streets or in encampments, Kavros DeGraw said.
Twenty-seven children in Fairfield County alone are sleeping outdoors, lawmakers and service providers said.
The coalition is asking for $5 million to fund cold-weather shelters, $7.4 million to raise salaries of staff working in the homeless response system, $3.6 million to keep people from entering homelessness, $2 million to support system performance through the state and $2 million in flexible funding to help people transition from homelessness into housing.
When it’s cold out, more shelter beds need to be opened to keep people safe, providers say. This puts a strain on people who serve the homeless, who are often underpaid. They estimate that more than 80% of staff working in homelessness response earn less than what is needed to afford a one-bedroom apartment in Connecticut.
“As we invest in these services, we need to recognize that we have to pay people a living wage. We have to treat all people with dignity,” said Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, D-West Hartford, chair of the Human Services Committee. “Not just those who are homeless, but the folks taking care of those who are homeless, need to be paid a living wage in the state of Connecticut.”
The funding request may prove difficult to fulfill. The state legislature enacted fiscal guardrails to limit spending and end deficits in state finances in 2017.
Since then, Connecticut has saved much of its $3.3 billion rainy day fund and paid down billions in pension debt. Gov. Ned Lamont has been a staunch supporter of the fiscal guardrails, but they’ve launched debate at the state Capitol.
The guardrails have limited funding on certain social services, leaving many advocates and lawmakers frustrated.
“We are hearing that people are being creative with the fiscal guardrails sometimes, and so we hope that maybe we can also,” Kavros DeGraw said. “I also think that there are potentially expenditures that could be cut in certain areas, because I think that we have to look at our budget and even our budget updates as a reflection of our moral values. And if our morality says that we shouldn’t have 27 children sleeping outside, then I think we’ll find a way.”
During the last legislative session, homelessness service providers asked for $50 million in additional funding for some of the same issues they’ve discussed in recent months. They received an additional $5 million.
Rep. Jay Case, R-Winchester, said in his part of the state, many people are living in tents, and service providers are struggling.
“They’re busting at the seams right now,” Case said of the providers. “There’s so much work for them to do because people can’t afford to be here.”
Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, said more needs to be done to prevent homelessness.
“This is something that a state like ours can fix,” said Anwar. “This is something that a state like us should have fixed many years ago. There are structural issues that can solve this, that can help take care of and prevent homelessness in a very timely fashion.”
More support for the homelessness service system has bipartisan support, and lawmakers from urban, suburban and rural areas of the state attended Monday’s press conference.
But the bipartisanship will likely divide on some of the ways to help prevent homelessness in Connecticut. Research has tied regional differences in homelessness to a lack of affordable housing.
“Our neighborhoods thrive when we have people housed,” said Sarah Fox, chief executive officer at the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness. “Stable housing matters. And we cannot uncouple homelessness from our affordable housing crisis. Today, we see more people falling into homelessness than ever before due to housing scarcity and rising rents.”
No state has enough housing to meet the needs of its lowest-income residents. Connecticut lacks more than 92,000 units of housing that are affordable and available to its lowest-income renters.
Housing experts have said that the primary driver behind the lack of affordable housing is restrictive local zoning ordinances that make it hard to build multi-family housing. There have been several policy solutions suggested for Connecticut that may come up this session.
Some of these include widespread overhauls to zoning to increase housing density, while others are focused around development near public transportation systems and some would make small changes to the local landscape.
Republican lawmakers said they may be able to compromise on proposals that use incentives rather than mandates to encourage more affordable housing. They also said they want to make housing choice vouchers easier to use and make it cheaper to build housing.
“It has been based around incentives, I think, from our standpoint, to make sure that we incentivize or make it easier for people to come and make investments in this state,” said Rep. Tony Scott, R- Monroe, a ranking member of the Housing Committee.
“There are simple ways that I consider low hanging fruit that we can make easy for people to make that investment,” he added. “I think we have to do so. And that’s where we need to come together. … Some of the larger issues are going to be very tough to get to. I will acknowledge that right now.”
Rep. Holly Cheeseman, R- East Lyme, a ranking member of the Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee, said she wants to look at tax policy solutions that make it easier to build affordable housing.
But, lawmakers agreed, the need for more money to support homelessness services in Connecticut is dire. Speakers talked about five deaths that have occurred already this winter among people living outside.
“It’s a damn shame we had to come every year and beg,” said Rep. Geraldo Reyes Jr., D-Waterbury. “Come on, Connecticut, we can do better.”
