There are about 900 unhoused public school students in the Greater Hartford area, according to the Greater Hartford Coordinated Access Network (CAN), which connects families to homeless services.
Homelessness in Connecticut rose more than 30% from 2023 to 2024.
Last year, the number of homeless families with children increased from 310 to 362, according to a Connecticut Balance of State report.
The Connecticut State Department of Education has announced a new partnership with Stamford-based nonprofit RE!NSTITUTE. Together they will work to find new ways to connect homeless families with social services.
RE!NSTITUTE helps communities tackle housing and other issues by setting up 100 Day Challenges.
The first step is for the team, which will include educators and homeless service providers, to set a goal for the project, according to RE!NSTITUTE Chief Executive Officer Sarah Robens.
“What are the things that we can do as well that can help support their families into more secure housing situations? We know that's where the focal area is, but we don't know what the goal is going to be yet,” Robens said.
The team will set a project goal when the 100 Day Challenge begins in mid-April, Robens said.
The program is funded with a one-year grant of nearly $143,000 from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. The grant is designed to support the Greater Hartford region’s education and homeless response system.
It’ll ensure that unhoused students can remain engaged in school. The program will also address the overrepresentation of marginalized students in housing instability, and strengthen cross-sector collaboration between the education and homeless systems.
“This is focusing on the Greater Hartford area, and what we normally find is that what comes out of a challenge can then be used in other areas,” Robens said. “We're hopeful that this becomes something that is really impactful for the wider Connecticut State, rather than just being focused in one area.”
Unhoused students in Greater Hartford comprise 16% of the state’s total homeless student population, according to the Greater Hartford CAN.
The 100 Day Challenge will be guided by the Connecticut Department of Education’s “No Matter What” program.
“No Matter What,” established in 2023, works to connect homeless students with housing services. It was a response to the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. The law guarantees support for students experiencing homelessness so they can continue attending school.
“Our state already makes significant investments in homeless prevention and intervention, and there is good work being done at the local and state levels,” Gov. Ned Lamont said. “This new partnership will improve our coordination and response system in central Connecticut, so we can maximize the impact of our current funding — all to deliver better outcomes for students experiencing homelessness.”
