Connecticut’s crisis response system was the centerpiece of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness (CCEH)’ 10th annual training institute. Approximately 300 people participated in the event, held in Meriden, Connecticut. CCEH also welcomed dozens of current or formerly homeless clients to build, empower and lead the system to end homelessness.
One current emergency shelter client identified himself as “residentially challenged” and called on government leaders to “find more funding for rent subsidies.” Others called on mayors, developers and municipal leaders to re-examine zoning to make housing more affordable.
Keynote speaker, Catherine Smith, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, was looking ahead to establishing a state Office of Housing. “Our economy cannot be healthy unless all of our constituents are brought along,” she said. Commissioner Smith pledged to work with the Department of Labor and other states agencies to improve jobs and economic security, “for homeless people, veterans and people with disabilities.”
All eyes are on capitals in Washington, DC and Hartford as we await full implementation of the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act and Governor Malloy’s historic proposals on public housing and education reform. “With all the focus on education reform this year, there is no greater evidence of the achievement gap than that among homeless children and youth” said Carol Walter, Executive Director of CCEH. Almost 3,000 students in Connecticut public schools reported experiencing homelessness in 2010-2011. “Stable housing is the foundation for opportunity and economic success” Walter added.
The HEARTH Act will redefine homeless services as currently organized in the towns and cities in Connecticut. “This combined with Governor Malloy’s historic proposal to revitalize our public housing stock and continue to support permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless persons must move ahead, despite the economic downturn” stated Walter.
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This video was created and released as part of "Sexual Assault Awareness Month" (April). It provides viewers with information about sexual violence and resources that are available to survivors. One in three Hispanic women and one in four Hispanic men will experience sexual violence during their lifetime, but the Hispanic/Latino community faces many barriers to accessing services. Everyone deserves safety, respect, and support.
Todos merecen la seguridad, el respeto, y el apoyo. Ayúdanos apasar el mensaje de que la ayuda está disponible.
Favor de compartir este video con tus redes sociales y organizaciones que brindan servicios a la comunidad hispanohablante en Connecticut
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The Greater New Haven Regional Alliance to End Homelessness is launching its universal application for supportive housing with a training seminar on March 30. This application will join several others around the state who have been working on implementing such a tool to ease caseworkers paperwork burden and improve service delivery to clients. A follow up meeting of all groups who have been working on universal applications will be held on April 17, from 2:30 to 4:00 PM at New Haven Shelter Plus Care. If you are interested in attending the April 17 meeting, please contact Tracy Helin for more information at thelin@cceh.org.
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Federal Entitlement Programs Primarily Serve Elderly, Disabled and Working Households. More than 90 percent of the benefit dollars that entitlement and other mandatory programs spend go to assist people who are elderly, seriously disabled, or members of working households — not to able-bodied, working-age Americans who choose not to work. The data in this report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, show that the middle class receives approximately its proportionate share of benefits: in 2010, the middle 60 percent of the population received 58 percent of the entitlement benefits.
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Study finds TANF's role as a safety net over the last 15 years has declined sharply. In 1996, for every 100 families with children living in poverty, TANF provided cash aid to 68 families. By 2010, it provided cash assistance to only 27 such families for every 100 in poverty. Since TANF’s inception, states have taken advantage of the block grant’s flexibility and shifted TANF funds to other purposes, such as child care. Also because the TANF block grant is fixed at $16.6 billion a year, inflation has eroded its value by almost 30 percent since TANF’s creation in 1996.
Need for new TANF performance measures. The study recommends that the work participation rate, which discourages states from assisting families in the greatest need should be replaced with new performance measures that reward states for positive outcomes such as increasing employment or earnings or improving recipients’ education and skills. The performance measures should adjust automatically to reflect the availability of jobs. In addition, the study recommends that the types of activities that states can count toward their work requirements should be expanded. The current work participation rate structure keeps families with the most serious employment barriers out of the program. The program should encourage states to create programs that support alternative pathways to work for families who need more than limited job search assistance
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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.
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The Stamford-Norwalk area is the second most expensive region in the Nation, with a “housing wage” of $34.02 an hour.
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A family would need to earn about $50,000 to afford a modest 2-bedroom apartment.
An estimated 2/3 (66%) of all renters cannot afford their apartment.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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