Connecticut Agencies Receive $6.5 Million in Federal Grant Funding to Combat Youth Homelessness — U.S. Senator Chris Murphy Meets with Agencies Putting the Dollars to Work

(Photo, Pictured From Left to Right: Lisa DeMatteis-Lepore, CEO, The Connection; Senator Chris Murphy; Mary Ann (Mimi) Haley, Deputy Director, Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness; Steve Dilella, Director, Department of Housing)

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (January 7, 2019) – Before a packed house of various agencies tackling the issue of youth homelessness in Connecticut, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy held a round table discussion today at The Connection in Middletown to hear from various stakeholders on how federal funds will be utilized to address the growing concern of youth homelessness in our state.

Due in great part to the efforts of Senator Murphy, Connecticut was the recipient of $6.5 million in federal grant funding for new youth homelessness programs. Senator Murphy opened the discussion by saying,

“When dollars are sent to Connecticut, they know that the dollars will be used wisely. The real success is not what is done in 6 months, it is what we do to address youth homelessness in 6 years that matters.”

The goal is to help any young adult experiencing homelessness find permanent housing and support. The funding will be used throughout the majority of the state to create new programs for homeless individuals and families, ages 24 and under through the Youth Homeless Demonstration (YHDP) program. Funds through YHDP will be utilized to create:

  • Crisis Housing Beds (for youth that need immediate access to shelter);
  • Youth Navigators; who will work with youth seeking housing assistance to help connect them to community-based services and aid them in navigating various systems that they may have involvement;
  • Diversion/Rapid Exit Funds; which can be used for homeless youth that only require a small amount of financial assistance to end their episode of homelessness;
  • Rapid Re-Housing; for youth who are actively homeless and unable to resolve their homelessness without ongoing financial assistance and support services;
  • System Dynamic Modeling (SDM); for research targeted towards the factors that lead to youth becoming homeless to better inform funding decisions around making the most positive impact to end youth homelessness.

    • Everyone in attendance agreed that with this federal funding, agencies can not only better identify those that need help, but that new programing will provide youth in our state with the resources to keep them safe.

    Further reading: See the coverage from WTNH News, and read the article in the Middletown Press.