WHEREAS, Connecticut’s towns and cities routinely encounter and provide services to the thousands of households who experience homelessness each year;

WHEREAS, data shows that homelessness affects people in every town in Connecticut;

WHEREAS, people experiencing homelessness consume a significant amount of municipal services and resources, including police, fire, emergency medical services, and more;

WHEREAS, research is clear that the effective strategy for solving homelessness is the Housing First approach, in which households are reconnected quickly to stable housing through a combination of supportive services and financial or rental assistance—tailored to their levels of need;

WHEREAS, Connecticut has made significant progress in reducing homelessness through the statewide application of the Housing First approach, made manifest its Coordinated Access Network system that identifies people in housing crisis, assesses needs, and tailors evidence-based interventions to households;

WHEREAS, Connecticut has been certified by the federal government as having functionally ended veteran homelessness, has nearly eradicated chronic homelessness, and is on a path to make all homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring for all;

WHEREAS, municipal leadership, coordination, and resources are vital to achieving an end to homelessness;

WHEREAS, [INSERT YOUR MUNICIPALITY’S NAME] and all municipalities take pride in their responsibility to protect and enhance the health, welfare, and safety of its residents in efficient and cost-effective ways;

WHEREAS, [INSERT MUNICIPALITY-SPECIFIC INFO/DATA TO HIGHLIGHT (e.g., the City of Milford has created a Homeless Outreach Workgroup to pursue a collaborative approach to outreaching to, engaging, and assisting people experiencing unsheltered homelessness within the city)]; and

WHEREAS, the Connecticut Conference on Municipalities, the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, and other partners are calling on municipalities to take action to prevent and end homelessness across the State of Connecticut.

NOW, THEREFORE, LET IT BE RESOLVED, THAT I,[INSERT NAME & TITLE OF CHIEF ELECTED OFFICIAL], do hereby sign on to the Call to Action to prevent and end homelessness in my municipality, coordinate municipal efforts with our regional Coordinated Access Network, commit to sharing lessons learned with other municipalities in my state, and encourage all municipal officials and staff to support this effort.

We resolve to utilize the comprehensive resources provided by CCM and CCEH to:

• Increase Public Awareness and Support for Efforts to End Homelessness;
• Strengthen  Municipal Workforce Capacity to Address Homelessness
• Collect and Share Homelessness Data;
• Coordinate Municipal Services to Address Homelessness;
• Provide or Mobilize Resources to Address Homelessness; and
• Improve Outcomes for People Experiencing Homelessness including steps to decriminalize homelessness and connect with systems.

Recognizing that efforts to end homelessness are not static, we furthermore resolve to review the Municipal Task Force’s recommendations on an annual basis and determine ways to incorporate evolving best practices into our town activities.