The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
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PORTLAND — The town is among several municipalities throughout Connecticut anticipating $3.4 million in grants from the state’s Coronavirus Relief Fund, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Thursday.
The program uses federal CARES Act money to finance programs in several towns across Connecticut to be used for homeless shelter improvements and prevention services, and financial assistance for lowincome residents at risk of becoming homeless, according to a press release. Administered by the Connecticut Department of Housing, the grants will provide critically needed assistance to many who have been impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Portland Shelter Diversion program won $306,800 in support. The town, in partnership with the Coalition on Housing and Homelessness (Meriden, Middlesex, and Wallingford Coordinated Access Network), will use the funds to expand local resources that address the issue by adding four full-time staff, deployed over an 18-month period, to expand shelter diversion and housing stabilization services for families, youth and single adults, the release said.
“These grants will be used to ensure the supports are in place for those who are on the verge of becoming homeless, and we can rapidly respond to the situations they are facing,” Lamont said in a prepared statement. “Having a safe and secure place to call home is a critical component of responding to this public health crisis.”
“When an individual or family is having a housing crisis, we can keep them stably housed in the community, and prevent them from entering into homeless service system,” state Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno said in the release. “This funding increases the capacity to prevent, prepare, and respond to housing needs and pandemic precautions.”
Several of the grants will be used for shelter diversion programs, which aim to prevent homelessness by helping those in need to identify alternate housing arrangements. This prevents the need for entering a shelter, and creates a pathway toward long-term housing stability, according to the release.