Advocacy Action Alert:
Make your voice heard.
Testimony Needed for DMHAS and DSS Hearings!
Thank you to everyone who testified at the Department of Housing Appropriations Hearing. Our great advocates discussed the need for housing resources in a state where we've already made such progress in ending homelessness. We can sustain and improve on this progress -- and it's all thanks to the hard work and effort of advocates like you.

Testimony is still needed for tomorrow's DMHAS hearing, as well as the DSS hearing on March 5th. See below for details. These budget items are crucial to maintaining the housing supports which have brought such progress to our effort to end homelessness in Connecticut.
Department of Mental Health and
Addiction Services Hearing
Public Budget Hearing is scheduled for
Friday, March 1st starting at 5:30 pm
Legislative Office Building, Room 2C
300 Capitol Avenue, Hartford
 
Support the Preservation of the DMHAS Housing Supports and Services line item (Supportive Housing Services) - $23M in each year.
These services are an essential component of the supportive housing model which is proven to support housing stability for people experiencing chronic homelessness, and fundamental to maintaining our progress to end homelessness for this high need and high cost population.
 
Here is what you can do: Submit Written Testimony or Testify in Person.
2.   Email written testimony to sfox@cceh.org and danielle@pschousing.org by Noon, Thursday, February 28th.
3.   Please inform Sarah Fox and Danielle Hubley know if intend to testify in person by Noon, Thursday, February 28th.

Please email written testimony in Word or PDF format on your organizations letterhead to sfox@cceh.org and danielle@pschousing.org (Template above provides guidelines for format). Written testimony should be limited to matters related to comments related to the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services budget. All public hearing testimony, written and spoken, is public information. 
Department of Social Services Hearing
Public Budget Hearing scheduled for
Tuesday, March 5th starting at 4:30 pm
Legislative Office Building, Room 2C
300 Capitol Avenue, Hartford
  
In addition, a major Medicaid initiative including coverage of supportive housing services is included in the Department of Social Services budget. It will develop a Medicaid Supportive Housing benefit for high cost, high need individuals experiencing homelessness. This initiative has been promoted and supported by a number of Reaching Home Campaign partners, and we encourage support at the hearing.

Support the Development of a Medicaid Supportive Housing Benefit.
In 2016, Connecticut was one of eight states selected through a competitive process to participate in the Medicaid-Housing Partnership Innovation Accelerator Program. Through this initiative, technical assistance was provided to help states design ways to support individuals served by Medicaid in accessing and retaining stable housing and meaningfully engaging with their health goals. Under this proposal, a 1915(i) state plan home and community-based services benefit will be developed that will serve up to 850 individuals who experience homelessness and whose average Medicaid costs exceed $40,000 per year. Transition and tenancy-sustaining supports have been found to be effective at achieving housing stability as well as improved health, community integration and life satisfaction. Funding is also included in the Department of Housing to support this effort.

Here is what you can do: Submit Written Testimony or Testify in Person.
2.   Email written testimony to sfox@cceh.org and danielle@pschousing.org by Noon, Monday, March 4th.
3.   Please inform Sarah Fox and Danielle Hubley know if intend to testify in person by Noon, Monday, March 4th.

Please email written testimony in Word or PDF format on your organizations letterhead to sfox@cceh.org and danielle@pschousing.org (Template above provides guidelines for format). Written testimony should be limited to matters related to comments related to the Department of Social Services budget. All public hearing testimony, written and spoken, is public information.
Budget and Appropriations Process Webinar Recording

Click Here to watch webinar. Click Here to view the webinar slides.

In this recording of a webinar originally streamed on January 31, Kate Robinson from Gallo & Robinson, Kiley Gosselin from the Partnership for Strong Communities, and Richard Cho from the CT Coalition to End Homelessness, covers critical information regarding the budget and appropriations process, the Reaching Home CT Legislative Agenda, advocacy strategies, and information regarding the upcoming 2019 Homelessness and Housing Advocacy Days.
Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness
(860) 721-7876 |  info@cceh.org  |  www.cceh.org