With Connecticut officials speculating more than a dozen people have died out in the cold in the past two months, advocates are calling for more resources to help the rising number of unhoused in the state.

Citing a 45% increase in the unhoused population in the state, a scarcity of resources and an affordable housing crisis, the homeless response system is buckling under the strain, advocates for the homeless say.

“The homeless response system was never built to respond to the level of need we are facing today,” said Sarah Fox, chief executive officer of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness. “We don’t have the resources — whether the housing resources or provider resources — to meet the need.”

Advocates for the homeless and state legislators emphasize that prevention resources, housing subsidies and more funding is critically needed to stem the crisis. They argue that they have fought for more funding for years.

Because of the lack of affordable housing options and affordable rentals, "people are remaining in the shelter for long” periods, Fox said. “We are desperately in need of housing to meet every level of income.”

A shortage of housing, particularly for the lowest-income renters, is a challenge in Connecticut that both leads to homelessness and makes it difficult for people to escape it. State legislators passed a bill in the last legislative session that aimed to increase housing in the state but Gov. Ned Lamont vetoed it due to objections from Connecticut’s suburbs. A revised version was passed and signed by the governor in the fall special session but critics say the bill will not provide an immediate solution.

State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, D-West Hartford, said while she was happy that the legislature passed a housing bill in the special session, it did not go as far as the bill the legislature originally passed.

“There are certain elements where we are trying to make large inroads and we experience these setbacks,” she said. “Either the state has to have the will to want to make these changes or it is going to take a lot longer than we all want and unfortunately the repercussions are people are dying on the streets.”

From Nov. 1 to Dec. 29 there have been 15 deaths believed to be related to cold weather, according to the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. At least five were experiencing homelessness, the office said. Nine of the deaths, including the five known to be unhoused, are still pending further investigation, the office said.

The problem

There are 5,860 people actively experiencing homelessness with 2,200 unsheltered, according to Fox. The shelters and soup kitchens are full, with the Coalition to End Homelessness stating that homeless services have to turn away 1 in 5 people because there is so much need.

Matthew Morgan, executive director of Journey Home, which coordinates the Capital Region’s system for ending homelessness, said the problem is that the homeless service system is clogged.

“We don’t have enough housing, services and resources to get people out of homelessness and stabilized in the community whether that is long term or short-term assistance,” he said. “We have 20% of what we need to make that flow happen so that the system is not clogged.”

Jennifer Paradis, executive director of Beth-El Center in Milford, which provides emergency food and shelter programs for the Greater Milford area, said the system is buckling under the pressures of demand.

“It takes a long time, or more than immediate, to get a call in to 211 and to get a CAN (Coordinated Access Network) assessment,” she said. “If you are somebody who needs shelter, it can take several months to get into shelter. If you are somebody who is living outdoors it might take awhile to be matched with an outreach coworker depending on the community you are living in.” and get matched with a caseworker, dependent on the community you are working with. There is not enough affordable housing stock and the subsidies to compete in the private housing market. We have a lot of housing challenges ahead of us.”

Paradis said in her 20 years of working to help the unhoused, this is the worst she has seen.

She said the people coming in to her shelter are older and sicker.

“Folks are seeing the long-term impacts of many years of disinvestment,” she said. “The unsheltered homeless numbers are incredibly concerning. There is a systematic disinvestment and underinvestment in these services.”

Rep. Eleni Kavros DeGraw, D-Avon, said there is not enough transitional housing.

“People are living and working two jobs in a shelter,” she said. “Every year we fight for the bare minimum of dollars so people are not out in the cold.”

She said the funding is not adequate to meet the needs of the unhoused despite Gov. Ned Lamont allocating $4.5 million to cold weather emergency shelters this year.

“We have to be able to fund appropriately places that will get people off the street and start to get them back to what a normal life would be,” DeGraw said.

State Sen. Saud Anwar, co-chair of the Public Health Committee, who has been advocating for more funding and resources for the unhoused, has said there is a need for more resources for 211, explaining that the time for people to get through to 211 is very long and 211 is not available like it had been in the past 24/7 to be able to address people’s needs.

“It is very real,” he said, saying the system as a whole must be fixed.

“I have seen the people in the cold,” Anwar said. “I have seen the people struggling. I have gotten to know people who have gone through all these difficulties. It is painful we are not releasing the funds for 211 to provide the resources and to be able to place them in shelters and hotel rooms at this time.”

Lisa Tepper Bates, president and CEO of United Way of Connecticut 211, said 211 is one piece of the system in aiding those who are unhoused.

“Our housing team is there to be the first step for people who are facing homelessness but we are not the entirety of the system so the challenge is that we need better resourcing of the entirety of the homeless system so we are not facing what we are facing today: Unacceptably high number of people going without shelter,” Tepper Bates said.

Solutions

Advocates for the homeless and legislators emphasized there is not one clear cut solution to address homelessness, with many factors at play including cost of living and affordability, but they state that preventive measures and increased housing and wraparound services are to begin tackling the issue.

Fox said higher levels of interagency collaboration is needed as well as increased funding flexibility for providers to meet their regional needs. She also mentioned a need for increased ownership by municipalities in responding to homelessness, something Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam has called for.

Legislators recently toured the 211 center. She added that zoning reform is needed to provide increased housing opportunities and flexibility in housing options are also needed.

Morgan said one of the models that has been successful has been the Compassionate Connections to Housing Program which directly helps those in encampments receive housing through subsidies and rental assistance. But he said there are not enough resources to fully implement the model.

“I would say that people should not be criminalized for experiencing homelessness,” he said.

He added that he would also love for Connecticut to be the first state to pass a bill declaring housing a human right, which would also address the issue.

Paradis said it is important to invest in the entire system in equitable proportions.

Prevention is also key, she added, pointing to the importance of fair rent commissions, just cause eviction protections and allocating additional housing subsidy support for people who are on the cusp of homelessness.

DeGraw, who visited 211 offices recently with several other legislators including Anwar, Rep. Kathy Kennedy, Sen. Matt Lesser and Gilchrest, said she was also concerned that there may not be enough staffing at 211. She also has concerns about funding as a whole for the system.

“My concern is making sure people are getting help in a timely fashion,” she said.

Rep. Jay Case, a Republican who represents four towns in Litchfield County, said the state should stop throwing money at the problem and find housing and wraparound services for the unhoused.

“We don’t need the revolving door of shelters,” he said. “We need the stability of housing.”

Gov. Ned Lamont has committed $6.9 million from a special $500 million reserve the legislature established to mitigate funding loss for federally subsidized housing resources and case management.

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