Connecticut continues to make gains in its effort to end homelessness, according to a new annual count of homeless residents in the state.
The Point-in-Time Count report released Tuesday showed that overall, homelessness in Connecticut is down nearly 4 percent compared to 2015, and has dropped by 13 percent since 2007. The report identified 3,902 individuals experiencing homelessness, down from 4,038 residents in 2015, the previous low point in the annual count.
The number of chronically homeless (those experiencing long-term homeless and living with severe disabilities) decreased 20 percent across Connecticut compared to the 2015 count, continuing a sharp downward trend in this population since 2014.
The state is part of the national Zero: 2016 initiative to end veteran homelessness, a goal set by President Obama, and to end chronic homelessness by the end of 2016. The federal government confirmed in February that Connecticut was the second state in the nation to functionally end veteran homelessness by housing all long-term homeless veterans and securing housing for any veterans newly identified as homeless in less than 90 days.
The report said people who are chronically homeless tend to cycle in and out of expensive public services, like emergency departments, hospital in-patient care, and jails – racking up high costs while their homelessness persists. “Ending chronic homelessness is a wise investment, it will save lives and save public funds,” said Alicia Woodsby, executive director of the Partnership for Strong Communities and the state coordinator of the Reaching Home Campaign to end homelessness in Connecticut.
The count found only 45 veterans in emergency shelters, less than half the number identified in 2015, most of whom are engaged in VA services and on their way to housing.
The count found 673 people unsheltered, a small increase over 2015. This change in the unsheltered count is likely due to the relatively warm weather the night of the 2016 count, compared to the extremely low temperatures and severe weather conditions the night of the 2015 count.
Family homelessness remained level, with 1,332 people in families counted as experiencing homelessness in the 2016 count (seven fewer families, but 13 individuals more than the 2015 family count). Connecticut’s first-ever count of homeless youth in 2015 showed some 3,000 unaccompanied youth age 24 and under experiencing homelessness in the state.
