State officials gathered at the capital city on Wednesday to announce a new initiative aimed at ending homelessness among veterans and the disabled within the next two years.
Governor Dannel Malloy discussed his desire to see Connecticut become the first state in the country to reach this goal. "Even though it's a bold goal, it's now within our reach," he said at a press conference, adding that it’s not only good for the economy, but that it’s "morally right."
The governor also announced that the state is awarding 15 nonprofit agencies $1.1 million to provide in-home services to 176 people who were formerly homeless. "We're making progress for the short- and the long-term, because our veterans deserve our support," he said.
According to Malloy, one decade ago there were about 10,000 people who were chronically homeless in Connecticut. Recent surveys showed that there are roughly 1,000 veterans and 2,400 chronically homeless people with disabilities in the state, according to a press release from the governor’s office.
"Ending homelessness doesn’t mean preventing anyone from ever becoming homeless again, it’s about creating a system that knows how to get them out quickly and prevents them from returning," said Alicia Woodsby, executive director of the Partnership for Strong Communities. "There will be an end to homelessness when it’s rare, brief and nonrecurring."
Every other year, the federal government orders a “point in time” census to determine the number of homeless people in a given area. In 2012, there were roughly 4,210 homeless people in the state. In Hartford that year, there were 770 homeless people, with 141 children, according to the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness.
The state was chosen as one of six to be included in the program, which is being spearheaded by Community Solutions, a nonprofit that works to solve problems among a community’s most vulnerable residents.
State officials have also worked to fund 110 rent vouchers to keep participants’ housing costs down.
Click here to read list of homeless shelters in Connecticut.
Jacquelyn Filson is an intern at WNPR.