Save the Date: CT CAN End Homelessness Day at the Capitol!

Join us at the State Capitol for an opportunity to speak to legislators face-to-face about solving homelessness in your community, and why we need their support for $33.5 million to prevent, respond, house, and save lives!

Date: Wednesday, May 28th

Time: 11AM - 2PM

Location: State Capitol Building, 210 Capitol Ave, Hartford.

Whether you're a seasoned advocate or brand new, we'll be there to support you with talking points and fact sheets, so come prepared to make a difference with your story.

• If you have questions or want help setting up a meeting with your legislator, please reach out to Katherine Whitney.
• To order or pick up yellow shirts for your organization, email Haley Gross de Jimenez.

House Unanimously Passes Interagency Council Bill H.B. 6894!

Great news: HB 6894, which will codify Connecticut's Interagency Council on Homelessness in state statute, passed unanimously in the House on Tuesday!

This is a huge step forward in ensuring coordination across state agencies, communities, and advocates working to solve homelessness. We are grateful to our state Representatives for sending this measure to the Senate with such a strong show of support!

What's Next:

• Legislators will vote on our $33.5 million request for the Homeless Response System, and on H.B. 7033 (An Act Prohibiting a Municipality from Imposing Any Penalty on Homeless Persons for Performing Life Sustaining Activities on Public Land). H.B. 7033 would correct the harm done by the Supreme Court in Johnson v. Grants Pass, which allows state and municipalities to arrest, ticket, or fine people sheltering in public spaces while unhoused, even when there is no other option.
• H.B. 6894 (An Act Establishing An Interagency Council on Homelessness) now goes to the Senate for a vote, and then to the Governor's desk to be signed into law.

TAKE ACTION NOW: Contact your legislators today! Call on your colleagues, board members, staff, and community partners - we have just three short weeks to urge Senators to pass H.B. 6894, and for the House and Senate to vote to approve our $33.5 million funding request and pass H.B. 7033!

Head to our website for helpful resources! You can:

• Review the CT CAN End Homelessness 2025 Legislative Agenda and fact sheets
• Look up your legislator by Coordinated Access Network and district
• Prepare for questions: download and share our overview of the Homeless Response System and how it works, or use our Ask Justification to explain our $33.5 million funding request with your legislators

This is the home stretch - we need all our advocates to contact their legislators today and throughout the next three weeks!

Please reach out to Katherine Whitney at kwhitney@cceh.org with any questions.

Reminder: Rally at the Capitol with CT Nonprofit Alliance!

Don't Forget! Tuesday the 20th is the Rally at the Capitol with The Alliance to raise your voice for community nonprofits - including the Homeless Response System!

Where: South Lawn of State Capitol, 210 Capitol Ave, Hartford

When: Tuesday, May 20th beginning at 10:00 AM

IMPORTANT FOR ORGANIZATIONS: This year, we are wearing the Alliance's green shirts, which they are providing free of charge. Please read the instructions on reserving shirts and pick up in the guide linked below!

How to Prepare:

• Register groups with the Alliance
• Read more about how to prepare for a visit to the Capitol (guide to shirts, signs, parking, and more)
• Review the CT CAN End Homelessness 2025 Legislative Agenda and fact sheets

Legislators and the Governor need to see and hear you before final state budget agreements are negotiated and your voice is more important than ever.

In the morning, we'll gather with hundreds of other advocates on the South Lawn of the State Capitol Building in Hartford. After the rally, we'll head inside the building to meet with legislators and urge them to vote in support of funding for Connecticut's Homeless Response System!

We hope to see you there!