On Wednesday, July 25th a number of Connecticut’s homeless service and
housing providers held meetings with Connecticut’s Congressional
representatives on Capitol Hill to highlight our statewide effort to end
homelessness, share client success stories, and advocate for federal homeless
response resources. The delegation for the National Alliance to End
Homelessness Capitol Hill Day included representatives from the Connecticut
Coalition to End Homelessness, Partnership for Strong Communities, Columbus
House, Salvation Army-Waterbury, New Reach and our Executive Director here
at Journey Home, Matt Morgan.
During conversations with housing legislative staffers in the offices of both
Senators and our Congressional representatives, a number of important issues
were highlighted. The group was sure to point out the fact that our housing and
homeless assistance programs are working. This year, participants focused on
some key priorities such as funding for the Department of Housing and Urban
Development’s McKinney-Vento Homelessness Assistance Grants and continued
funding for rental assistance and affordable housing programs.
One of the key lessons from Capitol Hill Day was that our voices are needed
more than ever, and it is imperative that we let Congress know how important
federal funding is to ending homelessness.