Warming centers, diversion programs part of addressing homelessness in state

Feb. 07--MIDDLETOWN -- Cuts in state aid have stretched budgets thin for agencies that help find shelter for individuals and families without a place to stay, but a coalition of agencies has found success in mostly reversing the tide of chronic homelessness.

According to the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, there are more than 4,000 homeless individuals at any given time in the state.

The stark reality of being out on the streets, even for a night, is showcased at Middletown's annual homelessness memorial service and candlelight vigil at the Church of the Holy Trinity held every winter solstice -- the shortest day of the year.

In December, 17 people who lost their lives in Middletown were honored. "They are people who are part of that strange but beautiful club .. They are full human beings," Lydia Brewster, assistant director of community services at St. Vincent De Paul Middletown told those who gathered.

When frigid temperatures hit the state, a triage system goes into effect, during which agencies of emergency services and public protection, social services, mental health and addiction services, and housing work with 211.org and area shelters to help protect vulnerable populations.

The 211 system, funded by United Way, is the first point of entry for emergency shelters for individuals and families in crisis and many other types of assistance, including help with rent, subsidized housing, housing vouchers, utilities, food, employment, re-entry programs and veterans issues.

In 2016, Connecticut was the first state to house all chronically homeless veterans, and match all chronically homeless individuals with housing, according to the Coalition on Housing + Homelessness in Middletown.

On the night of Jan. 23, 2018, according to the last point-in-time count, 3,383 people were experiencing homelessness in Connecticut. This represents a 25 percent statewide decrease from 2007.

Results of the 2019 count, conducted Jan. 22, are not yet available.

The initiative, led annually by the state , as required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, gathers data on how many people are experiencing homelessness across Connecticut.

"Homeless among all our sub-populations is decreasing -- among families, among chronic homeless," said Ann Faust, executive director of the Coalition on Housing + Homelessness, though statistics on youth show it's slightly increasing.

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., visited The Connection in Middletown last month to hear from those working on programs to end youth and young adult homelessness in Connecticut. In December, Connecticut received a $6.5 million grant from HUD to pay for a new program to eliminate youth homelessness.

"It's terrible when anybody is homeless, but when young people are homeless, it sends them into a downward spiral that is often hard to get out from underneath," he said at the time.

The $6.5 million will be used for shelter diversion and rapid exit programs, youth navigators (who do street outreach), integrative housing programs and rapid rehousing resources.

"We've made tremendous strides. When we started off on this 10-year plan, we didn't have a coordinated access network. The term 'rapid rehousing,' for people who can exit a shelter quickly with a very light touch, hadn't even been invented yet," Faust said. "They may just need a security deposit or first month's rent. They don't need permanent supportive housing. They just need a little help to get back on their feet."

Until about three years ago, local organizations helping these individuals would receive "cold weather funds" from the state to help pay for housing individuals: up to $40,000 per year for the Middlesex County, Meriden and Wallingford region. Now it's more of an "unfunded mandate," Faust said.

Alison Cunningham is executive director of New Haven-based Columbus House, which administers the city's warming center and temporary housing. Her agency services Hartford, Middlesex, New Haven and New London counties.

The Middletown, Meriden, Wallingford coordinated access network, established in 2014, was designed to help people access emergency shelter beds, Cunningham said. A call to 211, which replaced the old way of people contacting an individual service provider, sets the system into motion.

The operator will suggest the person consider alternatives to a shelter, for instance, staying with someone the person hadn't thought of before. If that's not possible, 211 will assign the person an intake appointment. In Middletown, they're held at the North End Action Team office on Main Street.

Staff will then talk about diversion. "Is there anyplace else the person can go, are there other resources they haven't thought about? Maybe there's been a conflict at home, and perhaps we can help soothe that over so the person can go back," said Cunningham, who's happy to report diversion is working.

Anyone who still needs immediate aid will be offered a bed in the next available shelter throughout the region: The Connection-run Eddy Shelter in Middletown, Shelter Now in Meriden or Wallingford Emergency Shelter.

If none are open, the person will be given a list of warming centers while they're waiting. The center are not shelters in the sense of a place to sleep. Beds, meals, showers and other amenities are not provided. "It is a safe, warm supportive environment for people to be overnight," Cunningham said.

Typically, individuals needing a place to stay for a night during extreme cold are single. "Most families do not show up on our doorstep on a cold night. They make other arrangements," Cunningham said.

Middletown's warming center, which moves locations during winter months, is open to the public seven days a week from 9 p.m. until 7 a.m. It is open through Feb 25 at the St. John School basement, 19 St. Johns Square. From Feb. 26 to March 31, it moves to South Church at 9 Pleasant St.

"There aren't beds. It's really a public health initiative to keep people from dying out in the cold," said Faust.

The center is supported by the city of Middletown and typically sees 25 to 38 people showing up on any given night. Anyone can walk in at any time, and can come and go as they please, Cunningham said. The "low-barrier," less-structured environments are devoid of the many rules typically imposed on those who use shelters.

"In a traditional shelter model, people cannot do that. Once you're inside the shelter in the evening, you're there for the night. Little things like that make a huge difference for people," Cunningham said.

"Warming centers are popping up all over the state. It's a new service for people who typically stay on the streets, and who do not want to be in emergency shelters," or for those on a waiting list.

The Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness steering committee takes a system-wide approach to solving housing issues.

"I look for where there are gaps in services, where their needs aren't being met," Faust said. Providers, which include the Middlesex United Way, Columbus House, Liberty Bank, The Connection, Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce, St. Vincent de Paul, Rushford Center and Shelter Now of Meriden, meet on a monthly basis.

"We've gotten so much better at providing permanent, supportive housing, shelter diversion, and doing programs with rapid rehousing, that our numbers have been pretty steady over this winter," Faust said. "We haven't seen a big increase this year.

"The coordinated access system really changed everything. We're serving people better now. We have more data, so we know how long people are staying in shelters," and the length of stays and rates of recidivism are both decreasing. "We have made really great strides. The whole system has aged since 2008 for the better," Faust said.

The point-in-time census includes a one-night tally of adults and families with children and week-long count of unaccompanied youth. These counts provide two of the sources of data used to measure the extent of homelessness in the state, and enables a comparison of how homelessness is trending from year-to-year. HUD uses the information to compile its Annual Assessment of Homelessness Report to Congress.

Columbus House has seven temporary housing units where homeless individuals/families can stay for a certain period of time while they're working with a case manager on a rehousing plan.

"We do the best we can across the state with the funding that's available," said Cunningham, who is waiting to see the governor's proposed budget, expected to be released at the end of the month.

The coordinated access system was established in 2014, said Brewster, who called herself "a big skeptic" initially.

She founded the collaborative in the three-town region and sits on many of its subcommittees. "211 is the entry point. It's the key to everything. Once they're in the system, you can really track people over time and geography. Once they get a CAN assessment, they're ours. We 'own' them," Brewster said.

Shelters are open throughout Connecticut and can be located by calling 211 or visiting 211ct.org. For information, visit theconnectioninc.org, growstrongct.org, columbushouse.org and cceh.org. Donations and volunteers are always sought to help these agencies.

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