As Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the General Assembly debate what government’s core responsibilities are in an era of dwindling revenues, the federal government has certified Connecticut as the second state to effectively end homelessness among veterans. One federal official said, “This is Neil Armstrong walking on the moon kind of stuff.”
homelessness
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Connecticut IS preventing and ending homelessness
In August of 2015, Connecticut made history when we became the first state to end the long term homelessness of veterans with disabilities. We are also on track to end the long-term homelessness of all Connecticut residents with severe disabilities by the end of this year. Rep. Dan Carter wrote in a recent op-ed that our state’s system to addressing homelessness, “merely put a Band-Aid on the hopelessness of those already without a home.” He also referred to the people we serve as, “’statistics’ who will be back out on the street in no time at all.” These statements could not be further from the truth.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Prevention is the key to fighting homelessness in Connecticut
We all know one person or another who is living paycheck to paycheck and literally a step from being forced onto the street. This happened to a woman I know and her 10-year-old daughter a few weeks ago. In my effort to assist her, I was shocked to learn how few resources are available to keep people in their homes when faced with difficult times.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
Fewer homeless in Connecticut, but too many are young
The first-ever statewide count of homeless youth shows as many as 3,000 young people (age 24 or under) facing homelessness in Connecticut and in need of very basic services – including food and shelter. We know that homelessness early in life can set these young people on a trajectory for tragedy and poor life outcomes. We have seen success in coming together to tackle adult homelessness, now we need to do the same for vulnerable young people.
Posted inCT Viewpoints
This year’s homeless count is start of a revolution
Ending homelessness in Connecticut is not an unreachable dream — it’s a public policy goal that we must achieve. Through innovations like this year’s enhanced homeless count process, we are not just talking about the goal – we are moving toward it.
Posted inMoney, Politics
Connecticut sees an end to chronic homelessness in 2016
Fifty-one years after Lyndon Johnson declared “unconditional war” on poverty in his first State of the Union, anti-poverty workers allowed themselves a small celebration Wednesday, cheering an assertion that Connecticut is on the verge of eliminating chronic and veterans’ homelessness.
Posted inMoney, Politics
CT housing gains slowed by economy, demographics
Connecticut increased affordable housing and reduced homelessness during Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s first term, but “monumental demographic and economic pressures worked to slow that momentum,” according to a report released Thursday.
Posted inPolitics
Foley struggles on a deep dive into housing policy
Republican Tom Foley underwhelmed an audience of housing advocates Wednesday, admitting unfamiliarity with a broad range of housing policies, programs and terms with less than two weeks left in his second run for governor.
Posted inMoney
430 homeless people take shelter
New Haven — Two-hundred eight-seven single adults. Forty-two families, which breaks down to 64 adults and 79 children. All those people slept in beds that didn’t belong to them, either in shelters or in transitional housing, on a single frigid evening this week.
Posted inEducation, Health
Little help for Connecticut’s many homeless youths, advocates say
Chancharay Tyson: "I had nowhere to go. It was scary." It’s been a rough four years for Chancharay Tyson who, at 18, “aged out” of state custody after years of living in numerous group homes as a foster child. A year later, with nowhere to live after leaving her abusive boyfriend, the Norwich 19-year-old again […]
