David Mezard got out of prison at 26 years old — a respite for many, but his newfound freedom ended up sideways as he battled his demons.
“The only resource I only knew in my community, unfortunately, was the liquor store, and I made quick use of that,” Mezard said.
Mezard, now 28, spoke before state lawmakers at the capitol in Hartford on Wednesday alongside other members of the 119k Commission from the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities.
The nonpartisan advocacy group, made up of local elected officials, recently released a report asking for hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to better fund a variety of resources, including education and mental health services for the 119,000 people statewide between the ages of 14 and 26 who are considered at risk of dropping out of high school or are not working.
Mezard was able to get back on his feet due to consistent help from the Invictus program at Domus Kids, a Stamford nonprofit.
Advocates say they want more state support to ensure a more comprehensive approach to helping at-risk youth instead of piecemeal approaches to the problem.
But as of now, it's unclear if the state will actually adopt all the proposals, which would cost at least $150 million to start it off.
But Marilyn Andrews, who runs the Invictus program at Domus Kids, says more state aid would give more people opportunities to succeed — people like Mazard who ended up needing their help to get his identification documents in order.
“There definitely needs to be an easier way for people to get their documents, especially if they've been incarcerated for a long time,” Andrews said.
Mezard said getting out of jail meant that he had to navigate an often confusing system to get his documentation and complained there was little inter-departmental communication so it would have taken longer for him to get his documents on his own.
That’s part of what the report addresses, in what it calls strategic pillars, which includes coordinated support for youth, better vocational and career training programs, stronger support networks among schools, nonprofits and local governments, and more resources.
But how that will get funded is unclear. Gov. Ned Lamont’s spokesperson, Julia Bergman, said in a statement that Lamont praised the work of the commission but said the state is already working on these efforts.
“Many of the report’s recommendations include actions our state agencies are already undertaking to ensure positive outcomes for our youth, but the governor always welcomes conversations about what we can do better to ensure our investments are making an impact,” Bergman said.
Lamont’s office said the state has already worked to increase funding for local school districts. Bergman said Lamont’s administration has worked to increase education cost sharing, where struggling districts aid are provided additional state funding, to at least $345 million.
