A mother is forced to choose which of her children can stay with their grandmother while she takes the others to a shelter. A father, the sole provider for his family, loses his job and falls behind on rent—now facing eviction. An elderly couple, unable to read and living on Social Security, can no longer afford the rent in the home they’ve had for over two decades.

These aren’t distant headlines. They are real stories. They are our neighbors. And I know these choices too well because for over 20 years, my family made them too.

My family experienced severe housing instability and at a certain point homelessness. I grew up watching people in my own community make heartbreaking choices every single day, choosing between rent and food, between medical care and transportation. Many of these people had jobs. They had income. What they didn’t have was access to safe, affordable housing. That story is still unfolding for far too many across our state. 

That kind of survival leaves a mark.

So when I talk about homelessness prevention, I don’t just mean stopping an eviction notice from landing on someone’s doorstep. I mean keeping families together. I mean protecting our elders and ensuring that people coming home from incarceration are given a true second chance —not a fast track to homelessness. Homelessness isn’t just the loss of a roof —it’s the weight of ongoing trauma, of being stuck in constant survival mode.

Today, as the Coordinated Homeless Prevention Manager at Journey Home, I have the honor of working to break that cycle. Through Coordinated Homeless Prevention, we are reaching people earlier, those facing mounting rent, impossible choices, and growing uncertainty, but who haven’t lost their homes yet. It includes working in hand with local partners, offering rental assistance before an eviction is filed, connecting people to legal support, and sitting down for financial counseling that builds real stability. Through Coordinated Prevention, we are able to meet people with solutions, not judgement and making sure help comes before an escalation of crisis.   

Every day, I see how close many in our community are to the edge, despite working hard and doing everything right. And yet, I also see the impact of real solutions. Connecticut has made undeniable progress. We’ve invested in rental assistance. We’ve expanded access to legal representation through right-to-counsel for tenants. And just this year, housing affordability and homelessness prevention rose to the top of the legislative agenda in both chambers. Multiple bills addressing housing development and tenant protections have passed through our House and Senate reflecting a growing understanding that stable housing is foundational to well-being.

We are moving forward. But we still have more work to do.

The truth is, in today’s tense political climate both locally and at the federal level, that progress is fragile. The federal conversation around homelessness continues to shift, and prevention, while long discussed, still doesn’t always receive the full support it deserves. But here in Connecticut, we’ve shown what’s possible and we can’t afford to stall now.

While we have started the work, too many still live on the edge. Rising rents, stagnant wages, and a shrinking supply of truly affordable housing have left thousands in our state one emergency away from losing it all. 

This is a moment for clarity and courage. Homelessness prevention has always been a part of the conversation. Now it must become the priority.

We must double down on what we know works, investing in rental assistance, eviction prevention, and community-led solutions that offer not just temporary relief, but lasting stability. We need more housing, more support for people reentering society, stronger protections for tenants, and a deeper understanding that our well-being is bound together. Because this is not just about policy, it’s about making sure no one has to choose between staying warm and staying fed, that no child goes to sleep worried about where they’ll wake up, and that every person is met with dignity, not dismissal. 

Because prevention is not just a strategy. It’s a promise: that everyone deserves the chance not just to survive, but to live.

 Adriana Negron is the Coordinated Homeless Prevention Manager at Journey Home in Hartford.