Everyone In – Fund CT’s Homeless Crisis Response System

We need a significant commitment to resource the homeless crisis response system to prevent a drastic increase in people experiencing homelessness and to continue our efforts to keep our most vulnerable neighbors in housing and out of emergency shelter.

Homeless service providers across the state have been able to utilize CARES Act funding to decompress shelters, move 3,000 households into housing and prevent a further health crisis due to COVID-19. Thanks to that funding, CT has seen a 16% decrease in homelessness across the state. CARES Act dollars, however, have not addressed the historic underfunding of the homeless crisis response system. These funds that were used to address the increased need during the COVID-19 pandemic will expire on September 30, 2022.

If our legislature does not make a significant investment of resources, the system we built with CARES Act funding will collapse. We will see increased street homelessness, potential spikes in COVID-19 transmission rates; and more individuals, families, and youth experiencing homelessness.

With the necessary resources, Connecticut can continue to: 

  • Prevent homelessness by helping those who are housing insecure find alternatives to the emergency shelter system.
  • House individuals and families experiencing homelessness by offering short-or medium-term housing subsidies called “rapid rehousing.”
  • Keep high-risk and high need people housed.
  • Prevent unsheltered homelessness and address winter housing crisis response.
  • Make every episode of homelessness as brief as possible by funding the housing emergency response system including the Coordinating Access Networks and CT 2-1-1.

Remind your legislators that CARES Act funding was intended to be a short-term, emergency response. There is still a need for Investments in the state’s homeless crisis response system.

Let us not believe that addressing the issue of homelessness falls on the shoulders of any one individual. Unless our Governor, Appropriations Committee leadership and members of the legislature believe that homelessness should truly be brief and non-recurring, all the work accomplished by CARES Act funding will be undone. Accountability is urgent and investment is needed now.

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How Can I Be Involved?

For more information contact Sarah Fox at sfox@cceh.org.