In Connecticut, supportive housing means providing families transitioning out of homelessness with affordable, often temporary, homes and social services.
A new report, by the housing advocacy nonprofit, Partnership for Strong Communities, found there are ways for supportive housing in the state to be improved.
In 2022, more than 5,500 families utilized Connecticut's supportive housing programs.
The programs have more benefits than just a roof over one’s head, according to report author Paige Paneck.
“Supportive housing has been shown to decrease substance use, criminal justice system involvement, emergency room use, and hospitalization rates, while simultaneously increasing quality of life and community integration scores,” Paneck said.
It’s also a more economical way of caring for vulnerable populations, Paneck said.
An average of $1.80 is saved for every $1 that's invested into supportive housing, Paneck said.
Social services are a staple of supportive housing programs, by providing on-site case workers or addiction treatment services.
“Supportive housing programs are typically geared towards one target population, and the services provided are then tailored for the needs of those residents,” Paneck said. “A program serving families involved in child welfare cases may have services like parenting classes or child care, while a program serving individuals with disabilities may offer transportation assistance and help coordinating reasonable accommodation requests.”
But, the programs have their limitations, including capacity, high turnover and burnout rates among service providers, Paneck said. Some providers, interviewed for the study, reported visiting the same food banks as their clients.
“The lack of sufficient compensation is a substantial problem felt by every single supportive housing employee, and that subsequently impacts our supportive housing residents as well,” Paneck said.
The Partnership provided a series of legislative recommendations to help tackle the need to further support and fund the programs.
Policy changes include hiring a full-time Office of Policy and Management state employee to coordinate between agencies and return to a previous application model for providers seeking funding.
Expanding the state-run Rental Assistance Program (RAP) and finding ways to pay providers more to prevent burnout are also recommended to help ease the system’s strain.
The average supportive housing length stay in Connecticut, according to 2022 data, was 4.8 years. The majority of families who left the program for more stable housing used RAP vouchers to do so, Paneck said.
“The services look like assistance with employment or assistance with going to your doctor's appointments or being connected to services or a support system,” Amber Freeman with the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness said. “It's really not about putting a home, a house over someone's head, but really helping them get to the point where they can truly live, and they can improve their quality of life.”
New Haven has about 500 supportive units, as of 2024. But, only 70 are suitable for families and another 250 supportive units are needed, according to Mayor Justin Elicker.
“We are doing so much to help support people that are struggling: seven emergency shelters, four daytime navigation hubs, we bought a hotel,” Elicker said. “We're trying to lead with compassion and help support people that are struggling.”
