NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Today the City of New Haven announced that Columbus House, in coordination with the Greater New Haven Coordinated Access Network (GNH-CAN), has successfully housed over one hundred individuals that were experiencing homelessness amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Early in the pandemic, the City, along with (GNH-CAN) made efforts to decompress the homeless shelters and warming center by placing undomiciled individuals into local hotels. Today with the help of the State and local homeless services provider Columbus House, the City of New Haven is making strides to house these individuals.
Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, data scientists at Columbus House were tracking the anticipated impact of the virus on the homeless population in the New Haven region. These early numbers were of great concern to the Columbus House team. The Columbus House team then quickly coordinated with the GNH-CAN, State Department of Housing, and the City of New Haven’s Community Services Administration (CSA) Office of Housing and Homelessness. They were able to reallocate existing funding for “rapid exit.” Rapid exit is solely from the Department of Housing. Rapid exit is designed to allow an individual to rapidly exit homelessness. These individuals have income but need a boost for things like a security deposit for a place to live, for example.
“This is a testament to what community can do even in challenging times,” stated New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker. “As we are standing together as a community to address police brutality in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by the Minneapolis Police, I want to take a moment to share how grateful I am for the continued partnership between the City’s Office of Housing and Homelessness., Columbus House, the State Department of Housing, and the Coordinated Access Network. We have housed over one hundred individuals who were experiencing homelessness in a time when we absolutely need to maintain services to those populations that need it the most. For that, I am so proud of what New Haven can do even in this time of pandemic, protest, conversation, and action,” he concluded.
The Greater New Haven Coordinated Access Network (CAN), which is one of eight regions across the state, found that there were over 300 individuals experiencing homelessness in the Greater New Haven region. GNH-CAN partner agencies identified homeless individuals in New Haven with an income of $700 or more a month so that they could be housed. Once the person was identified, Columbus House then matched the client to a landlord that is amenable to renting to this individual, they are interviewed by a housing specialist ahead of signing the lease.
“As an early adopter of the ‘Housing First’ model, getting people permanently housed is at the core of Columbus House’s mission. Securing safe, permanent housing for over 100 people in less than 90 days during a global health crisis was nothing short of a miracle. It only happens when we enlist the collective skill and expertise of the entire community. I am extremely proud of the Columbus House staff for their dedication to those we serve,” said Margaret Middleton, Columbus House CEO.
In addition to the Rapid Exit Program, clients can be housed through the Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) or the Rapid Rehousing Program (RRH). PSH is an intervention that combines affordable housing assistance with support services for chronically homeless individuals. RRH rapidly re-houses individuals and families to permanent housing through a tailored package of assistance that may include time-limited financial assistance and targeted supportive services.
This process typically takes about two weeks in total per individual; however, Columbus House aggressively called to identify units and complete any necessary paperwork before signing up individuals for a lease. Therefore, this two-week process was condensed into a single day. Columbus House, on average, was rehousing four to five individuals per day in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 1, 2020, they had their highest housing rate of twelve individuals that day. As of today, 117 individuals—and counting—have been housed through rapid exit.
Cathleen Meaden, the Director of Housing Services at Columbus House, released the following statement on their role in this housing effort, “What COVID-19 has shown us is a reminder that housing is health care. If people are housed, they are safer, and our community is safer. We must not forget this when the pandemic is over. There is no problem that being housed doesn’t improve. If you are homeless, your health is at risk; if you are homeless, your mental health is at risk, if you are homeless, your substance abuse disorder could be at risk. Housing is healthcare, and we need not forget that.”
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