The state Department of Housing recently dedicated $45.8 million dollars toward homelessness programming in Connecticut.
The funds will go toward a variety of services and programs throughout the phases of homelessness, from eviction prevention, to emergency shelter and aid in identifying housing.
About $30 million of that money was already allocated or spent, according to housing advocates. But the $16 million in new flex funds can be used for one-off needs, like security deposits, building two new in-person assistance hubs and shelter diversion.
The funding is desperately needed as homelessness rises in the state, but the new money won’t fix the urgent need to increase Connecticut’s shelter capacities as temperatures drop this winter, said Sarah Fox, executive director of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness.
“We need to make sure that we're bringing people inside across the state so we can save lives,” Fox said. “That's really important, and we still have an urgent need on the streets in our communities today of unsheltered homelessness, that we have to address.”
Money will expand in-person service hubs in two communities
Last year, the state developed regional “hubs” that act as an expanded, in-person 2-1-1 emergency service. Residents can visit the hubs, located in each county’s “Coordinated Access Network,” to seek immediate aid such as security deposit help and bus tickets to visit family members with secure housing.
Seila Mosquera-Bruno, the state’s housing commissioner, said the hubs served an immediate need and, for some people, a more long-term one.
“Many people did not have phones, and they needed to have another place where they could go in person and be able to talk to someone,” Mosquera-Bruno said. “And that gives the opportunity to do some other diversion work.”
About $6 million from the $46 million in funding will be used for two new hubs in Middletown and Manchester. The hubs are a partnership with the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and will provide treatment for substance misuse and housing support.
Another $10 million will go toward rehousing services, providing financial assistance and short-term services to help residents establish housing stability.
State says it’s supporting shelters while stopping homelessness before it starts
The Department of Housing says it's working to level the playing field for how it funds shelters across Connecticut. The agency also says it is focusing on a “holistic” approach of caring for the housing insecure and preventing people from becoming homeless.
“There are people that need services all throughout,” said Steve DiLella, director of Individual and Family Support Programs at the agency. “Whether it's at the front door, whether it's right when you enter shelter, and you need to exit, whether it's staying in shelter, or whether it's in a rapid rehousing program or permanent supportive housing program.”
The state’s placing an emphasis on programs to prevent homelessness, where in previous years more state resources went into providing shelter than stopping evictions, DiLella said.
“What we're trying to do is build up the overall system and continuum of care, so that we can really try to affect change,” DiLella said.
