Residents of most towns in northeastern and central Connecticut will be eligible again for direct cash assistance, a push to keep people housed during colder months that officials said Wednesday has become more urgent over the past several months.
For the first time, the United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut is asking for individual donations for its Rapid Response Fund for Homelessness and Housing. The organization is putting $100,000 into the program to get it started.
This is the third year that the United Way has offered cash assistance. Residents in its 56-town service area can contact their town human services department to access the program. Most aid is around $300, although each request is considered individually, officials said.
“This is a preventative measure. We do not want people to fall into the shelter system. We want them to be warm and housed this coming season,” said Eric Harrison, president and chief executive officer of the United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut.
State officials, including Gov. Ned Lamont, gathered at the State Capitol on Wednesday to urge Connecticut residents to donate to the fund. The announcement came as homelessness service providers worry over potential federal cuts to their funding. Lamont said while he thinks the state has made progress, the number of people experiencing homelessness is rising.
“It’s now getting dodgy. You’ve seen some numbers have picked up in terms of homeless,” he said, adding that the state is trying to increase rental vouchers and shelter beds. “It’s not easy. The federal government is yanking back [money] all the time.”
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development plans to change the way it allocates funding by focusing more on treatment programs and less on a program called rapid rehousing that aims to get people into housing as quickly as possible. It also limits funds for organizations that aid people who are transgender or nonbinary and rewards groups for asking about people’s immigration status.
It also encourages homeless service providers to involuntarily commit people experiencing homelessness to psychiatric facilities if they consider they may be ‘a danger to themselves or others.’
“This action comes at a time when Connecticut is already experiencing a severe rental shortage, historic increases in homelessness, and a statewide public health crisis declaration related to homelessness,” says a Nov. 14 letter that organizations representing homeless service providers sent to state lawmakers.
The changes represent “the most significant federal withdrawal from homelessness housing in decades. It dismantles the core of Connecticut’s system and places thousands of our most vulnerable residents at immediate risk,” the letter says.
Lamont said the administration is looking at the issue. Connecticut Department of Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno said the department may have additional funding to supplement the money that service providers need.
Lawmakers last week approved a $500 million flexible fund to allow Lamont to make up for federal cuts.
“We will take a look at that, but you’ve got to remember that every week, we get another brutal threatened cut from the federal government,” Lamont said. He pointed to recent problems with SNAP funding as an example.
“Now there’s some threats in terms of housing cuts,” Lamont said. “We do have a $500 million reserve there to take care of the most vulnerable in need, to make sure that nobody is sitting outside, can’t get a place to stay in January if it’s due to the fact that the feds have cut back on things.”
Mosquera-Bruno pointed to numerous programs DOH has in place to help people experiencing homelessness including cold weather funding to add 985 shelter beds.
While the state won’t add money to the United Way fund, officials encouraged individuals to donate.
“The activation of this fund is truly a lifeline for families,” said Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz.