To address family homelessness, United Way, Alpha Community Services, Operation Hope, and the CT Coalition to End Homelessness developed a pilot Rapid Re-housing initiative to help rehouse families residing in shelters. This is one of several pilots in the state meant to inform the State of Connecticut’s efforts to redesign the homeless service delivery system. There is more supportive housing for individuals than families, meaning more children are homeless which affects academic achievement because housing is unstable. A pilot protocol was developed with the family shelter providers to assist families obtain housing and other services to stabilize their situation while obtaining employment.

CCEH is working to assist all 12 ten year plan communities in CT to shore up implementation structure and make progress in a very difficult environment where demand is high and funding for services and housing is dwindling. United Way’s by nature are the ideal home base for ten year plans. We believe that the UWCFC model is the most promising for sustained operational support for ten year plans and we hope to help replicate it throughout the state.

We hope over the next few years CT’s United Ways will continue to follow UWCFC’s lead in providing the organizational hub for the development and implementation of ten year plans. The leadership and support of UWCFC for the regional effort to end homelessness, serves as a model for the state and is truly the direction that future collaborations should take.

-Carol Walter