Saying that hundreds of people are living in cars, the woods or other makeshift locations, a bipartisan group of Connecticut lawmakers is asking for $20 million in state funding to bolster the state's response to homelessness.
"This is the worst that I have seen it," according to Community Housing Advocates CEO Kara Capone, who says that this winter, five people have died while living in homeless encampments in the Hartford area.
"They died in a tent, laying on a cardboard bedding, with holes in their shoes and wrapped in donated blankets, some with walkers or canes by their side," says Capone.
To try and prevent such outcomes, about one quarter of the $20 million dollar outlay would go to the state's cold weather emergency response program.
$7.4 million would be used to strengthen shelter and outreach capacity-- much of it to compensate support staff members, who are chronically underpaid, according to the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness (CCEH). The coalition reports that "82% of our homeless response system employees cannot afford a one-bedroom apartment."
State Sen. Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor) says the funding is urgently needed, adding, "This is a systemic issue because of a lack of will. This is a policy failure... We will be judged based on how we are treating the most vulnerable in our state and right now, it's not looking good."
Still, the additional funding could be tough to come by, with lawmakers constrained by the state's fiscal guardrails. The new legislative session begins Wednesday. Without committing to the plan, the office of Gov. Ned Lamont (D) says, "Governor Lamont maintains an unwavering dedication to combatting homelessness across the state and will review proposals put forth."
More than 3,000 people are homeless in Connecticut, an increase of 14% year-over-year since 2021, according to the CCEH. Capone says one demographic that's stressing the system is people 55 and older who are becoming homeless for the first time, "looking for food assistance, looking for housing assistance. They're on fixed incomes, their income has not kept up with inflation. They can't afford food, they can no longer afford rent."
There are other reasons more people are winding up on the street, according to state Rep. Geraldo Reyes (D-Waterbury), who says, "They either don't have insurance, maybe their jobs don't pay enough. There are people that actually work who are homeless right now."
One reason for the urgent need to improve the shelter system can be found in the woods, according to state Rep. Jay Case (R-Winchester), who says all 19 towns represented in the Northwest Hills Council of Governments report having homeless people.
"They live in the woods. They're in a tent," says Case. "This is inhumane... I want to make sure our government thrives. Bottom line: people before projects. Let's get this done."