On Thursday, a brisk morning with lows in the 40s, state officials announced an infusion of funds for cold weather emergency shelters and support services to keep unhoused residents safe through the winter.
The funds include $4.5 million for five agencies that provide cold weather shelters and $3.5 million to 11 nonprofits to staff drop-in centers across the state. The funds fall short of a $9 million goal that had been put forward, but advocates said they are still working to recoup the additional $1 million during an anticipated special legislative session.
Matthew Morgan, executive director of the Hartford-area nonprofit Journey Home, thanked Gov. Ned Lamont and the legislature for the funds, which he said are “literally life saving investments that allow us to care for our most vulnerable. That demonstrates that Connecticut is investing in the values that we as a state represent.”
But Morgan added that there are still worrisome challenges in the months ahead.
“While I believe that this investment will avoid a mass loss of human life, we are still extremely concerned that we saw a 45% … increase in unsheltered homelessness over the past year and are worried that we may not be able to offer shelter to everyone who needs it this winter without additional investment in shelter and housing resources,” Morgan said.
Sarah Fox, the CEO of the CT Coalition to End Homelessness, was also measured in her remarks.
“We are gravely concerned about impending federal cuts and what we are going to see in the future,” Fox said. “But I also know that together we can have impact. Together, we can save lives.”
The event came as Connecticut lawmakers are trying to revive an ambitious housing bill that Lamont vetoed earlier this year. The bill aimed to improve the affordability and accessibility of housing and tackled issues like zoning, transit-oriented development, parking, homelessness and fair rent commissions. Lamont referenced that bill on Thursday.
“We had a bill in the legislature last year. I’d love to see if we could bring it back and get it passed,” he said. Regarding the $8 million for emergency shelters, Lamont said: “Look, this is a down payment on what we got to do to make sure that in this cold weather, we can provide a little bit of extra support.”
Speaking from a West Hartford warehouse for gently used furniture that has been donated to people moving into new homes, Lamont also encouraged people to donate used furniture to Journey Home.
“Help people get started. It’s a show of respect and dignity to help them get going.”
Speaking after the press conference, Fox said the additional $1 million will help address the uptick in unsheltered homelessness across the state. Asked if she was hopeful the funding would come through, Fox said no.
“But I appreciate where the state’s at, and I think we can work together to get where we need to go.”