Press Releases
01/18/2018
Gov. Malloy: State And Community Organizations Seek Volunteers For Annual Homelessness Census
Annual Point-in-Time and Youth Count Help Collect Critical Data Needed in State’s Efforts to End Homelessness
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy, Department of Housing Commissioner Evonne M. Klein, and Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness (CCEH) Executive Director Lisa Tepper Bates are encouraging Connecticut residents to volunteer for the annual point-in-time and youth count of homeless individuals in the state starting next week.
The annual counts are held every January and help provide critical data necessary evaluate the state’s progress when it comes to preventing and ending homelessness. This year’s census will occur over the next two weeks, with the point-in-time count taking place on Tuesday, January 23, 2018, and the youth count taking place from Wednesday, January 24 through Tuesday, January 30, 2018.
The effort, which is conducted with the generous assistance of volunteers, is spearheaded by CCEH and consists of coordinated groups that are organized across every region of the state. Volunteer training sessions will be conducted leading up to the counts.
**Those interested in volunteering in the point-in-time count can register here.
**Those interested in volunteering in the youth count can register here.
“Connecticut is a national leader in the fight to end homelessness, thanks in part to the tremendous efforts of the generous, kind-hearted people who volunteer for the point-in-time and youth counts,” Governor Malloy said. “Recent efforts among our many partners in the state have managed to do what many thought would be impossible – to end homelessness among veterans and match all chronically homelessness individuals to housing. We want to take these efforts even further. Volunteering in this noble effort will help Connecticut achieve our goal of ending youth and family homelessness.”
“Connecticut should be proud of the work we’ve done to end homelessness – it reflects the right policies and the strong values we share as citizens,” Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman said. “State government has relied on so many community partners in the effort to find stable, permanent housing for residents who are experiencing homelessness, and we thank them for everything they have done. This continues to be a community effort, so I urge people to participate in the point-in-time count.”
“The point-in-time and youth counts are extremely important to our state’s continued progress in the areas of preventing and ending homelessness,” Commissioner Klein said. “We are asking Connecticut residents to consider donating your time to this worthwhile cause. With your help, we can continue to evaluate the true size and scope of homelessness in our state, and with that information we can ensure that we are targeting our resources as effectively as possible to address this ongoing humanitarian effort.”
“The point-in-time and youth counts provide critically important information that feeds our efforts to continue to drive down homelessness in our state,” Executive Director Bates said. “Volunteers are critical to the success of this effort. Many volunteers have called working with us on the count a life-changing opportunity to connect with our neighbors in most need and hear their stories directly.”
The results of the 2017 count represented the lowest totals ever in a statewide count of homeless individuals, families, veterans, and those who are chronically homeless. The count showed that overall homelessness in Connecticut was down 13 percent compared to 2016, and down by 24 percent since 2007, which is the first year the census was conducted statewide.
In recent years, the State of Connecticut has made major investments in the efforts to end homelessness, championed by the Malloy administration in tandem with efforts to coordinate and target resources at the community level. This work has earned national recognition. In August 2015, the federal government certified Connecticut as the first state in the nation to have effectively ended chronic homelessness among veterans. In February 2016, Connecticut became one of only two states to have ended all veteran homelessness, and in January 2017, the Governor announced that Connecticut had matched all chronically homeless persons to housing.
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Office of Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman