CCEH February Newsletter

CCEH Newsletter

February 2020

Dear Friends,

This year is off to a remarkable start. The Point-in-Time Count and Youth Outreach and Count were both a huge success thanks to the hard work of our regional coordinators, the more than 650 volunteers who signed up to canvas the streets, and the reporters, legislators, and municipal leaders who joined the count in frigid temperatures. We would like to acknowledge all of the agencies and organizations, without whose leadership this years’ counts would not have been possible.

As we move into the new legislative session, we have considerable work ahead. We are proud to stand alongside our allies to support more expansive Clean Slate legislation to expunge criminal records for people who have been conviction free for roughly seven years. Because a criminal conviction should not lead to a life sentence to homelessness and unemployment.

Besides Clean Slate, there are several bills in this legislative session that would address homelessness and housing access for people who have been involved in the criminal justice system. HB 5122 would reduce housing denials for rental applicants on the basis of a criminal record. HB 5242 would address homelessness among people leaving prisons or who are under probation supervision. SB 105 would establish a right to housing in Connecticut.

We know that housing ends homelessness, but it should also be known that housing = equals justice—social justice, economic justice, criminal justice, and racial justice. In the coming weeks, we will be letting our state policymakers know that housing equals justice. We hope you will join us in sending this message.

Please read on to learn a number of ways you can be involved in making housing a reality for everybody in Connecticut ! And don’t miss your chance to register for the Annual Training Institute, which sells out every year. It should be a fantastic event.

Thank you for all you do every day to make homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring. We couldn’t do it without you!

Sincerely,

Richard Cho

CEO

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Become a CCEH Member Today!

Please consider signing up to be a 2020 member! Members include individuals experiencing homelessness, community providers, public officials, faith-based organizations, businesses, grantmakers, students, activists and others. Members receive discounts on CCEH trainings and will be listed on our website.

Please note that you can sign up here with a $225 membership fee or by signing up here for recurring $20/month donations. We are proud to share our member list on our website as well as with legislators, potential partners, and funders.

Annual Training Institute Registration Open!

Registration for the Annual Training Institute is now open!

Consistent with our 2020 legislative agenda, this year’s conference will be titled “Housing = Justice” and will explore topics ranging from family and youth homelessness to criminal justice to municipal involvement in our system. This annual conference sells out each year so be sure to purchase your tickets early. CCEH is also seeking nominations for ATI speakers and sponsors for workshops within the following tracks:

Track 1: Dignity in Housing

Track 2: Family Homelessness

Track 3: Youth Homelessness

Track 4: Homelessness ≠ Crime

Track 5: Social Determinants of Health

Track 6: Towns that Care

Track 7: Leading the Change

Seeking Presenters and Sponsors for the 2020 ATI

Please submit nominations for possible presenters using this form no later than Friday of next week. We look forward to your recommendations on powerful speakers who represent today’s best thinking on topics facing those of us fighting homelessness.

Sponsorship opportunities are also now available here .

This year's Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness and Reaching Home Advocacy Day will feature a coalition of housing advocates and people with lived experience of homelessness, meeting with legislators to discuss solutions to end homelessness in their community on March 11th!

We will be kicking off our Advocacy Day at the Lyceum at 8:30am and will all be walking over together to the Legislative Office Building (L.O.B.) at 9:15am. Light refreshments and parking will be available at the Lyceum in the morning.

Advocacy Day Schedule is as follows:

· 8:30am-9:15am: Kick-off at the Lyceum

· 10am-10:30am: Press Conference

· 10:30am- end of day: Meeting with Legislators

Note : If you are unable to meet us at the Lyceum from 8:30-9:15am, please head directly to the L.O.B. (300 Capitol Ave, Hartford CT) to join us for the Advocacy Day Press Conference which will begin promptly at 10am in Room 1B.

Click here to register for Advocacy Day 2020! To learn more about our legislative priorities click here . Join us in what we anticipate to be a lively discussion around resolutions that aim to end homelessness!

2020 Point-in-Time Count and Youth Count attracts Record Volunteer Participation

A huge thank you to the more than 650 volunteers who braved the cold on the night of January 21 and early morning hours of January 22 to help with the annual Point in Time (PIT) count! We had more than double the amount of volunteers from last year, and many stated they enjoyed the new online mapping technology as they canvassed their assigned areas. Thank you for your dedication in helping count those experiencing homelessness in our state, and we will be sharing preliminary data very soon.

Thanks to all the volunteers and leads who participated in the Youth Outreach and Count 2020. Through community settings statewide such as schools, recreation centers, youth serving organizations and libraries our 315 volunteers worked throughout the week surveying young people about their housing experiences. The 2500+ surveys completed, although fewer than 2019, represent a lot of work and coordination and data to help us understand some of the complexities of youth homelessness.

Thanks again for all the help!

RECENT EVENTS

Legislature’s Housing Committee Champions “Housing as a Right”

We were thrilled to join Senator Saud Anwar and State Representative Brandon McGee, and the rest of the Housing Committee at a press conference announcing their commitment to making Connecticut the first Right to Housing state. Among the priorities outlined in the press conference is their commitment to passing legislation that would among other things designate a line item that would fully fund 211 and diversion staffing, thereby eliminating wait times for 211 callers and people seeking shelter. This would be a major step forward and we will be looking to all of you to join us in grassroots advocacy around our legislative agenda, which we are titling “Housing = Justice”

Legislators participate in Tour of the Homeless Crisis Response System

Also exciting this year was a recent CAN System Tour organized by the Coalition on Housing and Homelessness’s Ann Faust in collaboration with Sue Murphy from Liberty Bank Foundation. The tour offered a behind-the-scenes view of the homeless crisis response system, including the 211 call center in Rocky Hill, a diversion center, and a shelter, as well as a special lunch with members of the LEAD group, who shared how the CAN supported them in securing permanent supportive housing. It was a powerful day and we welcome the opportunity to organize future tours for anybody who is interested in seeing the homeless crisis response system in action.

CCEH participates in ACLU’s March for Liberation

Just this week, members of CCEH’s staff joined the ACLU’s SmartJustice for a rally at the Capitol on the legislature’s opening day. Our message was loud and clear: we need to do better by those leaving incarceration by supporting them in leaving the correctional system with stable housing. Doing so is not only the right thing to do for people who have served their time, but also for society as a whole. We look forward to working with members of our coalition throughout this upcoming session to meaningfully engage with the system we have developed.

Results of this year’s be homeful for the holidays campaign announced

This was a remarkable holiday season for CCEH! A special thanks to CT REALTORS(R) Foundation, Citizens Bank, and United Way of Central and Northeast Connecticut, who made this year’s campaign possible, and to the many companies who held drives this year. Together, we raised more than $70,000. If you haven’t already done so, please follow the be homeful Facebook page, Twitter , and Instagram to find out about this year’s Paddington bear-raiser drives and to learn about future opportunities to be involved.

Seeking Summer Interns

Summer is an ideal time to get involved in our work! Please let us know if you would like to pursue an unpaid summer internship with CCEH. Internships our great opportunities to learn about our efforts and make a difference in the process. If you are interested, please contact us with the subject "CCEH Summer Intern" and we will be in touch!

Welcome Rosie Armstrong!

Please join us in welcoming Rosie Armstrong to our team as Executive Assistant to the CEO. Rosie brings with her more than 20 years of experience in the non-profit world. Rosie has an array of administrative skills and is an avid advocate to affect positive change in lives of countless residents in the greater Hartford area. As the Advocacy Team Leader at Community Health Services, Inc. in Hartford, Rosie was recognized two years in a row on a National level ( National Association of Community Health Centers/NACHC ) for her efforts to support critical Health Center Reauthorization policy (S.901 and HR 1343) and keeping her community engaged, aware and excited about the value and importance of advocacy! She is looking forward to being an added force to our team here at CCEH in our charge to prevent and end homelessness in Connecticut.

NEWS AND RESOURCES