The effort to reduce homelessness in Connecticut notched a major win Tuesday as five Hartford area nonprofits addressing the issue were awarded more than $2 million in funding.
Gov. Ned Lamont Tuesday afternoon announced the state awarded $1.1 million in funding to support the Hartford-based Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness (CCEH). The allotment is the latest round of funding in the state’s ongoing effort to prevent families and individuals from becoming homeless.
It also builds off a $2.5 million donation CCEH received last year from the Day 1 Families Fund, which is a philanthropic organization spearheaded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
Hours earlier Tuesday, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving announced it also awarded more than $928,000 in funding to CCEH and four other nonprofits focused on reducing homelessness across the state.
The foundation, which supports Hartford and 28 nearby communities, said the money is aimed at providing new coordinated services for the 1,400-plus individuals and families in Greater Hartford who face homelessess.
Grants were awarded to the Salvation Army of Southern New England Division ($326,033), Hartford’s My Sisters’ Place ($220,000), ImmaCare ($144,000), Hands on Hartford ($116,146) and CCEH ($30,000). The Salvation Army unit also scored a $92,000 matching grant from the city of Hartford, provided by the foundation, to improve warming center services in the Hartford region.
The foundation said the grants are expected to support more than 750 families and children annually through supportive housing, housing subsidies, eviction prevention/landlord negotiation, employment services and sheltering services provided by ImmaCare, Salvation Army and My Sisters’ Place.
A total of 100 homeless men, women and children will have additional access to shelter, case management, transportation and referral to Greater Hartford Coordinated Access Network for re-housing services during the coldest months provided by Salvation Army in partnership with the city’s warming center, the foundation said.
Hands On Hartford will also be able provide space, meals and case management to over 130 people during the day, and distribute toiletries, socks, hats, gloves and blankets to at least 200 people per month. The organization is also expected to provide health screenings to at least 55 people a month with the funding, officials say.
Meantime, ImmaCare will also use its grant to expand mobile outreach services to unsheltered people and provide diversion services to 500 individuals at the Hartford Public Library, among other services.
“By having supports in place for those who are on the verge of becoming homeless, we can rapidly respond to the situations they are facing,” Gov. Lamont said in a statement.
Tuesday’s funding was awarded just days after a new report found that Connecticut’s homeless population continues to steadily decline.
The report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) said there are 1,450 fewer homeless people identified in 2019 than 2007 — a 32 percent decline. There was a one-year increase between 2017 and 2018 because of the influx of Puerto Ricans moving to the state after Hurricane Maria hit the island.
The report also said there were 577 homeless children in Connecticut last year, in addition to 195 homeless veterans. The number of homeless veterans has been halved since 2011.
Still, Richard Cho, the chief executive director of Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, said that much more work remains.
“We are seeing modest declines. It’s not huge,” he said. “We are nowhere at scale. If we had more resources we would be seeing steeper declines.”
A CT Mirror report contributed to this story
