May 2017
A letter from Lisa Tepper Bates

Hello friends, 

There's no doubt that these are challenging times in Connecticut. Our fiscal situation is the toughest it has been in many years. We are facing significant uncertainty with regard to our state budget. 

What does this mean for us? Two things. 

First, we need to stay the course, and keep doing the great, coordinated work that is ending homelessness in Connecticut. Your efforts are paying off, every day - saving lives, and saving public funds. Thank you for all you are doing to help those most in need, and to make your communities stronger. 

Second, keep telling our story of success! Your work is showing results that attest to the importance, the effectiveness, and the impact of state investments to end homelessness. Our message is getting out, including at Advocacy Days, as you'll read below. But we need your help to keep reaching out to legislators!

These are tough times. But we are staying unified, staying true to our mission, staying strong on our message. Thank you for all you do every day, and thank you for lifting your voice to protect the resources we need to end homelessness!

Sincerely ,
  
Lisa Tepper Bates
Executive Director
 
Next Stop: Ending Youth and
 Family Homelessness
    
Thursday, May 18, 2017
7:45 AM - 4:30 PM
Connecticut Convention Center
Hartford, CT

 
CCEH is proud to announce Governor Dannel Malloy will be speaking at the 15th Annual Training Institute! He will be joined by keynote speaker Nan Roman, President and CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness and morning speaker Megan Gibbard, Director of A Way Home America.
 
The Annual Training Institute (ATI) is Connecticut's premier capacity-building event for organizations working to prevent and end homelessness. At this event, CCEH provides training and information on best practices, national and state-level policy changes, and changes in major systems as they relate to ending homelessness. Seats are going fast - please make sure to register soon!

Click here for more information on workshops and the conference schedule. 
 
The 4th Annual Homelessness and Housing Advocacy Days, coordinated by CCEH and the Partnership for Strong Communities, were a huge success! Over 250 homeless service providers and client advocates from across the state joined us at the legislative office building to meet with their legislators. This year, providers not only met with legislators in groups, but also one-on-one and at the Capitol while the House of Representatives was in session. 
 
Together, we reached more than 135 legislators and aides to ask them to preserve funding for housing service and programs. Cuts to our state's homeless response resources could result in increased homeless on our streets - risking a reversal of our progress to date, and forcing additional costs of homelessness onto other community services.
 
Please be on the lookout for advocacy alerts and requests to reach out to legislators!

Thank you for your continued support, and all your efforts and advocacy towards ending homelessness in Connecticut!

Please click here  for pictures from Advocacy Days. 
OrgCode Consulting's Iain De Jong: SPDAT & Housing Plans for All Clients Training 

Iain De Jong, Executive Director of OrgCode Consulting and renowned firebrand on improving the system of care for the homeless, joined us in Connecticut on April 3rd and 4th to train providers across the state on developing housing plans for all clients and utilizing the SPDAT, an advanced assessment tool. CCEH hosted the trainings in Hartford and the New Haven area with over 200 people attending, including 15 providers trained to continue to conduct trainings on the SPDAT. 

Thank you to all of the providers who joined us for these trainings. Resources can be found here for Housing Plans for All Clients and here for more information on the SPDAT. 
Recording Available for Substance Use Webinar

The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services participated in a webinar hosted by CCEH on Accessing Substance Use Services. Click here to access a recording of this webinar and additional resources on connecting your clients with substance use assistance. 

Caseworkers or front line staff who need assistance to assess the type of care an individual may need or to connect them to services should call the DMHAS Access Line (1-800-563-4086),  available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 

For more information and to view the recorded webinar, please click  here.
There are be homeful Funds Available!

We have be homeful funds available! Thanks to your hard work with clients, we recently passed the $100,000 mark in funds spent to resolve homelessness before it starts by diverting families seeking shelter to other housing solutions! Be homeful funds have helped divert 72 families, with very few returning to shelter.

Please keep sending in your requests and do let us know if your agency would like to learn more about how you can access these funds. 

And yes, we still have Paddington Bear!  If there are children in your shelter who haven't yet received one, please contact AnnaDea Diotalevi at
CCEH Welcomes Doran Wright as Opening Doors of Fairfield County Project Coordinator
 
We are proud to welcome Doran Wright into a new role with CCEH as part of the Advocacy Community Impact Team for the Fairfield County region. Doran's role in the community has changed from a consultant for Opening Doors of Fairfield County (ODFC) as the faith based initiatives coordinator to the ODFC Project Coordinator working on system level activities in Fairfield County. We are excited to be bringing him on board as a member of our team!