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Out of Reach report for Connecticut finds households need to earn $23.58 an hour to afford the rent in Connecticut, the equivalent of 2.9 full-time minimum wage jobs.
An estimated 2/3 (66%) of all renters cannot afford their apartment.
More Veterans Coming Home, Some to Homelessness. HARTFORD, Conn. - As service members who fought in Iraq make their way home in greater numbers with the official end of U.S. combat there, growing numbers are finding themselves homeless. Read more from Public News Service
The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act Campaign. Funding for programs like the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, or RHYA programs, are increasingly necessary. CCEH hopes you will work with us to achieve this goal in order to help meet the rising need and assist our nation's most vulnerable people. In his FY 2013 Budget Proposal, the President recommended providing $115 million for RHYA programs - the same amount as in FY 2012.
Send as many letters as possible to your senators and urging them to submit a funding level of $127 million in FY 2013 to expand the use of innovative and evidence-based models to meet the increasing demand.
Ask Congress to Support President’s Proposed 17% Increase to McKinney-Vento Programs. The President has proposed that Congress provide $2.23 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2013 for HUD’s McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants. Please join CCEH in writing letters to Senators Blumenthal and Lieberman and Representatives DeLauro, Murphy, Larson, Himes and Courtney to ask them to support a funding level of $2.23 billion for HUD’s McKinney-Vento programs. We need further federal investment to keep homelessness from rising, to continue funding existing ESG and CoC activities, and to implement the HEARTH Act, with its focus on proven solutions like homelessness prevention, rapid re-housing, and permanent supportive housing.
The Connecticut Housing Finance Authority has awarded one-time, limited funding to CCEH to be used to establish a Statewide Rapid Rehousing Fund. Assistance will be accessed on behalf of homeless households through local Beyond Shelter CT and Housing First for Families Coordinators and will be evenly allocated across the five regions of the State. CCEH is in the process of convening key stakeholders to plan for the CCEH rollout of these funds early this summer. It is anticipated that this is only the start of a resource pool which CCEH hopes to expand with other state, federal and private funds in order to assure a well-resourced rapid rehousing program in Connecticut. Please check the CCEH website, newsletter and other communications in the coming weeks and months for more information on this important initiative.