Advocates: Elderly veterans vulnerable to being evicted

NEW HAVEN — It’s the kind of thing that keeps Liam Brennan up at night.

More than half of the past client population at the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center has been homeless at some point in their lives.

The center, the first VA medical-legal partnership in the country, serves the specialized needs of veterans in the state, working on such things as benefits and discharge upgrades, but up to 30 percent of its case load involves housing.

“Housing is a huge portion of our docket,” said Brennan, who became executive director of the veterans legal center in 2019. He said he is worried about the avalanche of eviction cases he fears will hit this vulnerable population starting on July 2.

Gov. Ned Lamont has put in place a series of financial protections as the coronavirus pandemic emerged in the state in March and a shelter-in place stipulation to dampen the curve of the virus that saw all but essential businesses close, throwing thousands out of work.

A 60-day grace period to pay rent due on April 1 was enacted, which was

followed by a two-month delay for rent due in May for those who notified their landlord and tied the extension to the fallout from the coronavirus.

High risk group

Another state executive order was issued that disallowed the filing of eviction notices until July 1, while a federal rule protected beneficiaries of federal programs, such as Section 8 housing, from the beginning of the eviction process until July 27.

“Veterans are at a very high risk of being homeless to begin with,” Brennan said. “Our work is designed to address homelessness and prevent homelessness through legal means. So what we are looking at in July is a key issue, the biggest we have faced in awhile.”

Veterans make up 7 percent of the general population, but 12 percent of homeless Americans are veterans, according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. Other studies show that veterans have multiple chronic conditions that put them at risk for COVID-19, a major concern of Brennan.

Almost 6 out of 10 veterans experiencing homelessness in 2016 were age 51 or older, and the number of elderly veterans (age 62 and older) experiencing homelessness increased 54.3 percent between 2009 and 2016, according to the United States Interagency Council of Homelessness.

Further, according to that council’s data, in January 2019, among the 3,033 people experiencing homelessness “on any given day” in Connecticut were 195 veterans. In January 2019, there were 214 people in Connecticut experiencing “chronic homelessness,” according to the council.

The clients who come to CVLC, which is co-located in the Errera Community Care Center in West Haven, are described on its website as among the most vulnerable of the veteran population with many suffering from serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar and major depression. The center also has location in Rocky Hill and Newington.

Attorney Elizabeth Rosenthal, deputy director of the New Haven Legal Assistance Association, said an estimated 800 eviction notices were filed the month before the executive orders went into effect.

In addition, Brennan said there is the build up of those who already have evictions that were not enforced during the moratorium. The list of evicted could skyyrocket once the thousands of unemployed in Connecticut run out of benefits, he said.

The median income of veterans using the clinic is $15,396.

The latest state Department of Labor report issued Friday showed the state has received 635,000 applications for unemployment compensation since Lamont declared a state of emergency connected to the pandemic.

Rosenthal said Connecticut legal service agencies and grassroots advocates are lobbying for a major set aside of the $1.4 billion the state has received in Coronavirus Relief Funds for rental payments for those hurt financially by the coronavirus.

She said other states have allocated a good portion of that money for rental assistance as follows: New Jersey, $100 million in CRF and possibly other funds; Illinois, $396 million in CRF; Pennsylvania, $175 million in CRF; Montana, $50 million in CRF. There is discussion that Connecticut is looking at substantially less.

Max Reiss, spokesman for Lamont, said the governor may be making an announcement on the Coronavirus Relief Funds allocation soon .

Separately, the $3 trillion HEROS Act, the most recently proposed package by Congress to mitigate against losses due to the coronavirus, sets aside $100 billion in rental assistance. It has passed the House, but is stalled in the Senate.

Ashley Blount, deputy director of CT CORE — Organize Now, is leading the Cancel the Rent movement here, to put pressure on the state to help renters.

Karen DuBois-Walton, executive director of Elm City Communities/Housing Authority of New Haven, inspired by the Cancel the Rent movement, canceled the July rent due by the low-income residents at 21 properties run by the authority. It will be replaced by non-public money it has raised, particularly through its separate development arm.

Statistics on veterans, particularly older veterans, also don’t bode well for any who find themselves homeless in an ongoing pandemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that the coronavirus poses a greater threat to the elderly.

Brennan said almost one-third of the legal clinic’s veteran clients are aged 60 or older and 80 percent have one or more disabilities.

Rosenthal said it was unclear how the state Judicial Branch will handle opening up the housing courts, given the need for social distancing. Pre-COVID-19, the court in New Haven was usually crammed with tenants, who often would have small children with them.

Brennan