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A Report Card On Ending Chronic Homelessness By 2015

Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra Shares His Own Story

By Jeff Cohen

June 14, 2011

Advocates who met in Hartford and pledged to end chronic homelessness in the region by 2015 say they're making progress, but that they're also behind on some key goals. WNPR's Jeff Cohen reports.

Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra began the session by reminding the audience that homelessness has a wide reach.

"As someone who has been homeless personally, several times, it really has an impact on children and their sense of security in the world. And their relationships with parents and other family members."

Segarra said that when he was a child, he and his family spent time in homeless shelters in the Bronx after several of their apartments became unlivable. His comments came at the beginning of a meeting to release a report card on a push to end chronic homelessness.

Matthew Morgan is executive director for Journey Home, a regional advocate for the homeless. He says the good news is that the number of chronically homeless people in Hartford continues to decline.

But when it comes to building the types of housing that help prevent homelessness, Morgan says the region is lacking.

"It's not just about ending homelessness. It's also about making sure there's enough affordable housing available."

Morgan says some, but not enough, housing that is available to people of lower income levels is being built outside of the city of Hartford.

Also, when it comes to supportive housing, where residents get in-house services, the goal was to build nearly 1,300 units in ten years. Five years into that effort, only 244 have been built.