Sara Piatti finally sought treatment for her drug addiction and shelter from homelessness after not spending Mother’s Day with her children.
“I went to addiction treatment, and from addiction treatment, I went to a women's sober house, and then I learned how to be a productive member of society, because my addiction and my mental health at that time was keeping me from doing that,” Piatti said.
Now, nearly 11 years later, Piatti is meeting with Connecticut lawmakers to get more resources, funding and protections for the state’s unhoused population.
Piatti’s push is part of End Homelessness Week in Connecticut. Throughout the week of April 20, housing providers and advocates speak with legislators and the public about the state’s rise in homelessness.
Piatti now works with the Connecticut Harm Reduction Alliance, and helps oversee homeless grant funding. One of Piatti’s main concerns is advocating for a bill that would prevent municipalities from making sleeping and living outdoors illegal.
“You can't arrest your way out of addiction or homelessness or mental health. You just can't do it. It just doesn't work,” Piatti said. “It's more about peer support and compassion and meeting people where they're at and helping them, not arresting them.”
Along with a bill preventing towns and cities from arresting people for sleeping outdoors and offering more weather protection, providers are asking for about $28 million to support homeless services.
In February, homeless service providers and lawmakers requested about $120 million for various programs. But, the ask was winnowed down to about $28 million for this year, according to Sarah Fox, chief executive officer of Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness.
End Homelessness Week is a way to keep the issue at the front of lawmakers’ minds, Fox said.
“There's so many different reasons why legislators might not fully support our funding, because they're being pulled in a million different directions,” Fox said. “We don't have any outward opposition, but we need more and more leaders.”
One of the difficulties in getting lawmaker support is the sometimes hidden nature of homelessness, Fox said.
“Homelessness is so local today. We need mayors and community members to say, ‘No more. We must bring everyone inside,” Fox said.
