The Housing Collective

09/06/2026

Homelessness can happen to anyone. Last year, 64% of people who accessed support for homelessness in Connecticut were experiencing homelessness for the first time.

The good news? When Connecticut invests in the homelessness response system, we deliver results. This week, we invited lawmakers to Open Doors to learn how the homeless response system works in Norwalk.

Thanks to Dominique Johnson for State Representative of the 143rd District State Rep Savet Constantine, Norwalk City Councilmember Jan Degenshein, and Department of Public Social Services-Norwalk District Director Julienne Foy for joining us, as well as the CT Coalition to End Homelessness.

You can ensure our communities remain safe and strong by investing in the safety net that supports Connecticut residents when they fall into homelessness.

09/04/2026

We’re excited to welcome New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker to Homes That Heal: The Impact of Supportive Housing for opening remarks!

As we come together to explore the impact of supportive housing across Connecticut, Mayor Elicker will help kick off an important conversation about how supportive housing strengthens communities and creates pathways to stability. The Housing Collective will also offer closing remarks, helping us wrap up an important day of conversation and reflection.

📅 Monday, September 14, 2026
📍 Albertus Magnus College, New Haven
📍 Behan Community Room, Hubert Campus Center
🚗 Enter at Gate 4 on 80 Goodrich Street for free on-site parking

The iForum will feature the release of our new report, Homes That Heal: The State of Supportive Housing in Connecticut, along with presentations and panel discussions with leaders from across the supportive housing field.

Join us! Register today: https://heyor.ca/vmyPm2

09/03/2026

Communities "east of the river" in Connecticut can sometimes be left out of larger, statewide conversations about housing affordability. This makes it difficult for residents and town officials to make informed decisions to improve their housing future.

That's why The Housing Collective's Centers for Housing Opportunity Eastern Connecticut launched a two-part virtual learning series to bring together municipal leaders, nonprofits, planners, advocates, and residents to explore the housing challenges - and solutions - shaping eastern CT.

Our objective was to put the right data, strategies, and people in the room, to help communities in eastern Connecticut work together to build a better housing future. If you missed these conversations, you can watch the recording on our website.

Thank you to everyone who tuned in and to our wonderful speakers from Goman+York Property Advisors, LLC, the Northeastern Connecticut Council of Governments, and TVCCA - Thames Valley Council for Community Action.

Thanks as well to Liberty Bank for supporting our Center for Housing Opportunity Eastern Connecticut and making this work possible.

Learn more: https://cho.thehousingcollective.org/impact/increasing-community-participation-through-education

09/03/2026

A well-known Farmington developer is invoking Connecticut’s 8-30g law as it looks to build an affordable housing complex in Wallingford with more than 80 apartments.

09/02/2026

09/02/2026

Convening, collaboration, and coordination are at the heart of United Way’s work. Supporting strong systems and services that work alongside one another is vital to creating meaningful and lasting impact.

Today’s meeting with local providers from our homeless response system and UConn Health Waterbury Hospital was another great example of that collective impact in action.

Our discussion focused on better understanding the strengths, resources, and limitations of both the healthcare and homeless response systems, while identifying opportunities to strengthen coordination and remove barriers for the people we collectively serve.

Just as importantly, today provided an opportunity for frontline providers to connect in person, put faces to names, strengthen relationships, and, for many, meet one another for the first time.
At United Way of Greater Waterbury, we believe bringing people together matters.

By breaking down silos, strengthening partnerships, and improving coordination across systems, we can help ensure providers have the resources and relationships they need to better serve our community and help everyone thrive.

Pictured are staff from UConn Health Waterbury, Mental Health Connecticut, Brian Gibbons Homeless Outreach, The Housing Collective, and United Way of Greater Waterbury.

09/01/2026

Lawmakers represent the people, so it’s critical that they see what happens inside our homeless shelters, understand how they work, and recognize where they fit within the larger network of health, workforce, and social services that we call “the homelessness response system.”

When you invest in the homelessness response system, we deliver results. This thanks to organizations like Alpha Community Services YMCA and Recovery Network of Programs, Inc., who manage the shelters Bridgeport that we visited alongside lawmakers this week.

As the backbone organization supporting the homelessness response system in Fairfield County, The Housing Collective’s Opening Doors Fairfield County is here to bring together shelters, service providers, people, and policy makers to solve homelessness together.

Thanks to State Representative Andre Baker, State Representative Jennifer Leeper, State Representative Cristin McCarthy Vahey State Senator Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox and City of Bridgeport, CT - Government Social Services Department for joining us this week. You can ensure our communities remain safe and strong by growing investments in the homeless response system.

08/31/2026

The Housing Collective’s President and CEO David Rich has been a driving force advancing housing efforts across the state for decades. As David prepares to step down after 20 years of leadership, you are invited to share a congratulatory message for him!

Messages will be displayed in the program booklet for our 20th Anniversary Luncheon on October 1, 2026 at The Knowlton in Bridgeport. Over the years his efforts have touched so many of you: peers and partners and people in need across CT. Let him know!

Submission deadline: September 2, 5:00pm

08/26/2026

Today, our President & CEO joined colleagues and partner agencies at a Legislative Lunch and Learn hosted by Opening Doors Fairfield County, the Housing Collective, and the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness.

The event brought together local elected officials to discuss the shortage of affordable housing and the Coordinated Access process.

Thank you to the Housing Collective, CCEH, and Opening Doors Fairfield County for organizing, and to everyone who joined the conversation, including Don O’Day representing the Selectpersons of Westport, Representative Anne Hughes, State Senate candidate Sam Nestor, and Lee Goldstein, Weston First Selectperson and Westport BOE Chair.

Together, through education, collaboration, and advocacy, we can continue working toward housing solutions for our community. ❤💙

The Housing Collective CCEH Anne Hughes CT Sam Nestor for State Senate Lee Goldstein