Ending Homelessness In Middletown

Newsletter from Lisa Tepper Bates

Many, many thanks to all of you for your support of and participation in Connecticut’s annual Point in Time Count of homelessness.

The 2015 CT-PIT, which included the every-other-year unsheltered count, reflected a drop of 10% in homelessness across our state since 2013, and significant gains in a number of specific areas, including veterans, families, and chronic homelessness. At the same time, our monthly data shows that Connecticut is on track to meet our goals under the Zero: 2016 campaign to end Veteran homelessness by December of this year, and to end chronic homelessness in Connecticut by 2016! (Read more about the PIT and Connecticut’s Zero: 2016 campaign, below.)
This is big news, and good news! This progress reflects the great, hard work of providers on the front lines of homelessness across our state, who are refining our teamwork, bringing together the resources we have as effectively as we can, and providing real help to clients in urgent need. There is much more to be done, and we don’t always have the resources we want or need. But I hope we can all take a breath and appreciate that step by step, one person at a time, we are making real and substantial progress.

Zero: 2016 Update

In January, 40 Connecticut providers and 9 state and federal partners joined Governor Malloy in signing on to Zero: 2016, an initiative to end Veteran homelessness by the end of 2015 and chronic homelessness (those who have been homeless for a long time and live with a disability) by the end of 2016.

Four months into this important effort, only 18 of the 71 Zero: 2016 communities are on track to meet both of these important goals and Connecticut is the onlystate in this small group.

Your work is the reason for this success! 100-day initiatives going on across the state to accelerate housing placements and build a coordinated exit system are feeding that momentum. New Haven’s incredible progress over the last 12 months in housing 180 highly vulnerable people experiencing chronic homelessness is a testament to the great work happening in the state. Thanks to these powerful local efforts, we are exceeding our statewide Zero: 2016 monthly housing placement targets: in the last four months alone we have housed 371 Veterans and 229 individuals experiencing chronic homelessness.

This is good news, and good progress. But we know there is much more work ahead to reach our goals. To keep everyone apprised of the progress being made and resources available, we will be including Zero: 2016 CT updates in our newsletters.

Click here to sign up for the Partnership newsletter. Click here to sign up for CCEH’s newsletter. We will make additional information available about Zero: 2016, local efforts, and related resources at the CCEH website.

Many thanks to all of you for your support in this effort!

CCEH Presents Leadership Awards

The Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness honored leaders for their great work advancing efforts to end homelessness at the Annual Training Institute and meeting on May 14.

• Sister Patricia McKeon, former Executive Director of Mercy Housing and Shelter Corporation in Hartford, received the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness Social Justice Award.

• David Pascua, who is retiring from the Norwich-based Southeastern Mental Health Authority, received the individual Carol E. Walter Think, Be, Lead Change Individual Award.

• The Greater New Haven 100-Day team received the Carol E. Walter Think, Be, Lead Change Agency Award for their tremendous work

We thank them all for their work, their innovation, and for all they have done for people in urgent need.

Read more on our website.
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