Action 5: Provide or Mobilize Resources to Address Homelessness
Objective
Maximize resources and homeless crisis response system efficiency by aligning municipally administered resources and funding with efforts to end homelessness.
Complementary Actions
- Participate in Equity Training
What to do
Step 1
Hold a fundraising drive to provide diversion and rapid exit funds to people experiencing or at imminent risk of homelessness in Connecticut or your region’s Coordinated Access Network. These funds are accessible to clients at risk of imminent homelessness in your town and others throughout the state. You can visit this link to start your drive.
Submit: Copy of email alerting your CAN contact and CCEH of fund availability. Screenshot of your drive on Gofundme.
Step 2
In consultation with your regional Coordinated Access Network, identify and designate confidential space(s) and location(s) within the municipality where CAN appointments can be conducted and contribute financially to ensuring that people experiencing homelessness within the municipality have a safe place to shelter 24 hours a day during winter months. Options for physical resources eligible under this step include shelters, warming centers, overflow shelters, or drop-in centers. Special consideration should be given to transportation options to and from facilities and where clients can access lockers and shower facilities. The goal of this action is to ensure that individuals experiencing literal homelessness within your town have locations where they can safely access services and stay 24 hours a day.
Submit: A list of facilities that meet each of the above criteria with information about staffing and hours of operation.
Step 3
Identify and help coordinate funding to address and prevent homelessness. Strategies may include:
- Appropriating municipal funds toward a “homeless services” line item in the municipal budget to support flexible financial assistance, shelters or other crisis services, shelter diversion staffing, or other uses identified in partnership with your region’s Coordinated Access Network
- Obtain Community Block Grant Small Cities grants to fund staffing to Coordinated Access Network appointments and shelter diversion assistance.
- Obtain block grant funding from the U.S. Department of Department of Housing and Urban Development and allocate funds to Coordinate Access Networks and homeless services providers;
- Secure Public Housing Authority units and/or voucher set-asides for clients referred by the Coordinated Access Network.
Submit: A description of the amount of funding, what was funded, the funding time period, and a copy of the municipal budget with the relevant line item funded or the letter notifying the municipality of the receipt of grant funds, or, in the case of vouchers and housing units a copy of the municipality’s Public Housing Authority administrative plan.
Timeframe for Credit
Engaging Partners
Sustainable CT encourages regional collaboration and other forms of partnership. For every action, please complete the “Partners” box in your submission, indicating the name(s) of any municipalities and/or organizations you partnered with (if any) and a brief description of your municipality’s role. For additional information, please see the “Partners Guidance Document”.
Potential Municipal and Community Collaborators
Key collaborators to implement this action include health and human services staff, faith-based and community organizations, public works, libraries, public housing authorities and neighboring municipalities.
Funding
Resources
Toolkits, Calculators, Guidance Documents
- Gofundme link
- HUD Small-Cities Grants
- Sample PHA Admin Plan
Organizations and Relevant Programs
- Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness
- Connecticut Department of Housing
- National Alliance to End Homelessness
- US Housing and Urban Development
- US Interagency Council on Homelessness
- Council on Governments (COGs)
Benefits
Systemic data collection will provide your local Coordinated Access Network with a comprehensive snapshot of individuals in your community in need of services. CANs will use this data to identify residents in need of services not currently connected with resources, allowing your municipality and CAN to develop a coordinated approach to meeting the needs of people experiencing homelessness within your community. Comprehensive state-wide data also allows Connecticut to advocate for resources to meet the needs of individuals experiencing homelessness in all 169 municipalities.