A Statewide Initiative in Connecticut to #EndYouthHomelessness and the Launch of HUD Cohort 4

Earlier this month, Connecticut embarked on an ambitious statewide initiative. 7 regions from across the state launched 100-Day Challenges simultaneously to prevent and #EndYouthHomelessness in their communities. 

The 7 regions participating in the Challenge are:

• Central Connecticut
• Fairfield County
• Greater Hartford
• Greater New Haven
• Meriden/Middlesex/Wallingford
• Southeast Connecticut
• Waterbury

Each of the 7 regions came together for the Launch Workshop in Hartford, and the energy was electric. The event was attended by the Mayor of Hartford, Luke Bronin, who remarked, "We're talking about kids in our communities, who don't know where they're going to spend the night. And if we want to make sure that every kid in our state has the opportunity to be what they're capable of being, we have to make sure they've got the stability that comes with having a home."

Click here to view the 100-Day goals of each region. 

Connecticut has a history of 100-Day Challenges to end homelessness. In 2015, 4 communities launched 100-Day Challenges on veteran and chronic homelessness, as part of a push for the state to end homelessness among these populations. By the end of 2016, CT had accomplished their goal, and effectively ended homelessness for both these populations. 

For more information on the statewide initiative in CT, read the full press release from PSCHousing.

Also in May, we were excited to announce the next HUD Cohort to undertake the 100-Day Challenge to prevent and end youth homelessness. The four communities to accept the Challenge are:

• Horry County, South Carolina
• Northern Michigan (Manistee, Missaukee, and Wexford Counties)
• Tompkins County/Ithaca, New York
• West Tennessee

This cohort of communities has now launched, and are currently underway on their 100-Day journeys. To view a full breakdown of each community’s 100-Day goal, click here. 

With the wrap of HUD Cohort 3, 21 communities have now successfully completed the 100-Day Challenge to prevent and end youth homelessness - resulting in 2,485 youth and young adults being stably housed, in addition to numerous insights and improvements to underlying systems. 

Soon, we will be announcing the very first Locally Organized Cohort of 3 communities, with a planned launch in October - so be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on all the latest announcements, news, and progress across all of our projects!