November 2015

A letter from Lisa Tepper Bates

Hello friends,

As the leaves start falling, heralding colder weather to come, we worry more than ever about our neighbors in need. The good news: our Coordinated Access Networks (CANs) are completing their planning to use the additional funding that Commissioner Klein and the CT Department of Housing have made available (for a second year) to help offset the extra costs of meeting increased shelter demand during extreme cold weather.

At the same time, new resources also on the way from DOH will help our CANs across the state  to address important gaps in capacity and build their coordination to move those in need quickly from homelessness to housing.  There is more work ahead of us, but we have come a long way in building coordinated systems.  That work is reflected in our progress toward ending chronic homelessness - which we celebrated at the October 28 Zero: 2016 Summit (more on that, below).

Our story is this:  investment of resources to end homelessness is working .  Becoming the first state in the nation to end chronic homelessness among veterans proves it!  The Governor shares our commitment, but given CT's fiscal woes, the legislative session ahead will require us all to speak with one, strong  voice to maintain the level of resources we need to keep up the momentum.  CCEH will be in touch with you over the coming months to engage you in advocacy efforts to secure and maintain the resources you need to do your work.

Meantime, many thanks to each of you for all you do, every day, to serve those most in need.

Best regards,

 

Statewide Zero: 2016 Summit Oct. 28 in Hartford

More than 170 providers, leaders, state government colleagues came together at the Connecticut Zero: 2016 Summit, hosted by CCEH and the Partnership for Strong Communities, to celebrate success to date and to plan our way forward to end chronic homelessness in Connecticut by the end of 2016.  
The October 28 event, held at the Hartford Public Library, kicked off with comments from Governor Malloy, who reflected his strong and continuing commitment to efforts to end homelessness and bolster the affordable housing stock in Connecitcut. National leaders beamed in by Skype or came in person to laud Connecticut's work and offer their support. Marcy Thompson  Senior Advisor, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Needs and a HUD point-person of national efforts to end chronic homelessness, encouraged CT to continue to push the frontier, and innovate - noting that we are in uncharted territory that calls for creative solutions.   Bob Pulster, Regional Coordinator for the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), reminded the audience that Connecticut is a leader - setting new standards for states and communities across the country. 

Facilitators from the Rapid Results Institute and Community Solutions helped providers grouped into the state's eight Coordinated Access Networks (CANs) to reflect on their local systems, weighing challenges and opportunities and planning for their work going forward. DOH Commissioner Evonne Klein closed out the day with stirring remarks that reflected DOH's strong commitment, and the Commissioner's personal passion, for the work of ending homelessness.  




Hugs to End Homelessness a success

Many thanks to all who turned out for CCEH's Hugs to End Homelessness with Paddington events in October. More than 100 children turned out to show their support and have their pictures taken with Paddington and we were thrilled by the interest in the be homeful project. 

If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering with the be homeful project, please contact Madeline Ravich at [email protected] .
 
CCEH Receives Access Agency's Highest Honor

The Access Agency, a community action agency based in Willimantic serving Northeastern CT, turned 50 this year.  As part of their 50th anniversary celebration, Access celebrated its volunteers and employees, and honored some of its most committed partners, giving its two highest community service awards to CCEH and United States Senator Chris Murphy.

CCEH was honored to receive this award in recognition of our work, and pleased to stand alongside Chris Murphy - one of our great champions in Washington of national efforts to end homelessness. Access provides shelter to individuals and families, and is a core partner in Northeastern Connecticut's Coordinated Access Network (CAN).


CCEH Staff Win Prestigious National Homeless Data Fellowship

Two CCEH staff have been selected to take part in the  Community Technology Alliance's National Homeless Data Fellowship,  making Connecticut one of only 10 communities from across the nation chosen to receive this honor and the technical support that comes with it.  Brian Roccapriore, CCEH Director of HMIS and Strategic Analysis, and Jackie Jonosko, Research Analyst , will receive 11 months of intensive training and expert engagement to help them develop, launch and implement a collaborative reporting and data visualization system.

CCEH will be able to provide free  Tableau Interactor licenses for several of our interested community partners - along with some training and technical assistance to go along with it. More information to follow after the initial conference in November. For the latest updates be sure to sign up for the CCEH data newsletter  here.

 
Upcoming training schedule
 
Safe Shelter and Fair Housing for Transgender Individuals 
November 4 @ 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm
MFAP/TCC Building
618 West Avenue
Norwalk, CT 06850
 
Safe Shelter and Fair Housing for Transgender Individuals
November 10 @ 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Manchester Housing Authority
24 Bluefield Drive
Manchester, CT 06040

Save the Date: On December 8th and 9th, CCEH, in partnership with the National Alliance to End Homelessness and the Department of Housing, will be offering two full one day trainings  "Best Practices of Emergency Shelters and Crisis Services in an Effective Crisis Response System". The goal of this training is to give guidance on how to provide housing-focused, low-barrier, and safe shelter, crisis, and diversion services with the goal of quickly exiting clients to permanent housing solutions. Invitations soon to follow, with more details on location and times.
 

Longtime CT Leader in Homelessness, Tom Hyland, to Retire

Our colleague Tom Hyland has spent the last 33 years at the helm of Martin House , on of the state's first permanent supportive housing programs, and 23 years as Executive Director of the   Thames River Community Service, Inc. , a transitional housing program for families, both in Norwich.   During Tom's tenure, Martin House has served more than 850 people in need.  

Tom has served in a number of leadership roles in efforts to end homelessness, including as co-chair of the Southeastern CT Partnership to End Homelessness/HUD Continuum of Care, and is a member of the Opening Doors-CT Steering Committee. Tom is pleased with the development of Southeastern CT's Coordinated Access system, and says:  "The goal is to house people as quickly as possible...now we're really seeing the end of homelessness in the region, and I'm really proud of that." Tom will retire December 31 of this year. 

Many thanks, Tom, for your many years of leadership!

CCEH Hosts Young Leaders from the UConn Global Training and Development Institute

CCEH was honored to be chosen by the University of Connecticut Global Training and Development Institute to be a host site last month for 21 young leaders from Southeast Asia. As part of a US State Department program to strengthen leadership and networking in Southeast Asia, the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) brought these students to Connecticut to focus on topics like building public and private coalitions, best practices in community development, and social enterprise. 

CCEH shared its organizational mission, program activities, challenges, and successes with this group. A discussion regarding the inception, implementation, and strategies of the CCEH be homeful project was of particular interest to the group. A robust exchange between CCEH staff and YSEALI participants revealed some of the cultural differences in the responses to homelessness in different countries. The students will use the information and insights from this visit to help plan a social change project in their local communities.


OrgCode Leadership Academy

Two weeks ago, CCEH Deputy Director Mary Ann Haley and Sarah Fox, the manager of Advocacy and Community Impact, attended the OrgCode Leadership Academy West Virginia. The three day intensive training led by Iain De Jong was attended by over 200 community leaders from across the country including participants from Connecticut: Samantha Stewart and Lauren Zimmerman from Supportive Housing Works, Crane Cesario from the Capitol Region Mental Health Center, and Cathy Zall from New London Homeless Hospitality Center.  

The OrgCode Leadership Academy centered on developing strong leadership capacity at every level of our system to accelerate our work towards ending homelessness. During the Leadership Academy attendees had the opportunity to strategize with leaders from across the nation around best practices and the techniques they are using to solve complex challenges within their communities.
CCEH Data Updates
 
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