A Framework for Ending Homelessness

Opening Doors – CT is a framework to prevent and end homelessness in Connecticut that is aligned with the federal Opening Doors plan to end homelessness.  The leadership structure for planning and oversight of Opening Doors – CT is the Reaching Home Campaign, which is guided by the vision that no one should experience homelessness, that no one should be without a safe, stable place to call home.

Vision:
This vision and the core values that direct the work of the Reaching Home Campaign are articulated in the Opening Doors – CT framework. The core values embraced by Reaching Home are:

• Homelessness is unacceptable. It is solvable and preventable.
• There are no “homeless people,” but rather people who have lost their homes who deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
• Homelessness is expensive. Invest in solutions.

Goals:
To fulfill the vision of ending homelessness in our state, the Reaching Home Campaign - through the Opening Doors – CT framework - has adopted the goals laid out by the federal Opening Doors plan to end homelessness:

• Finish the job of ending chronic homelessness by 2017.
• Prevent and end homelessness among Veterans by 2017.
• Prevent and end homelessness among families, youth and children by 2022.
• Set a path to ending all types of homelessness.

Key Principles:
In implementing the Opening Doors – CT framework, the Reaching Home Campaign will focus on the following key principles:

• Stable housing is the foundation.
• What happens at the ground level matters.
• Collaboration is fundamental to our success.
• Our strategies and solutions must be driven in a way that puts the person or family facing homelessness at the center.
• Strategies must be implementable, user-friendly, cost-effective, and scalable.

Reaching Home Steering Committee:
The Reaching Home Steering Committee, a broad-based coalition made up of more than 50 community stakeholders, will provide the guidance and support needed to implement the Opening Doors – CT framework. Click here to learn more about the Reaching Home Steering Committee.

Workgroups:
Workgroups will advance key strategies in the following areas:

• Affordable and Supportive Housing - Click here to learn more about this Workgroup. Resources about Supportive Housing are available here.
• Retooling the Crisis Response System - Click here to learn more about this Workgroup. Resources on this topic are available here.
• Economic Security - Click here to learn more about this Workgroup.
• Health and Housing Stability - Click here to learn more about this Workgroup.
• Runaway and Homeless Youth - Click here to learn more about this Workgroup.

Opening Doors - CT Framework:
Learn more by reading the full Opening Doors – CT framework document or its separate components:

• Executive Summary
• Introduction
• Context for the Opening Doors-CT Framework
• What do we know about homelessness in CT
• CT’s system for addressing homelessness and needed changes
• Laying the Groundwork for Action
• Appendix A
• Appendix B
• Appendix C

Estimates of Need for Housing Assistance for the state and the Continuums of Care are available here.

A two-page summary of the Reaching Home recommendations is available here. 

A presentation that outlines the structure of the Reaching Home Campaign and the goals of Opening Doors – CT is available here.

A one-page fact sheet about Opening Doors - CT is available here.

A one page overview of the Reaching Home FY2013-2014 Legislative Agenda is available here.

For more information about Opening Doors – CT, contact Alicia Woodsby, Deputy Executive Director, Partnership for Strong Communities.  

Last Updated: May 13, 2013