$700,000 AWARDED TO 3 AGENCIES BY HARTFORD FOUNDATION
TO HELP PROVIDE EMERGENCY AND PERMANENT HOUSING
[dropcap][T]he Hartford Foundation for Public Giving has awarded grants totaling more than $700,000 to three agencies that provide emergency shelter to the homeless and actively work to end homelessness in Greater Hartford.
The faltering economy and high unemployment have changed the face of homelessness in the state. Last year, Connecticut’s 52 emergency shelters and its 2,189 beds served 11,700 people, including 1,500 children, according to the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness. Almost half of all families and 40 percent of single adults reported it was their first experience with homelessness. Seventy-four percent of adults with children reported rent problems or eviction as the reason they left their last home.
Grants were awarded to:
- The Salvation Army of Greater Hartford: $309,434 for its Marshall House Homeless Prevention Program. Marshall House provides case management, life skills education, financial assistance, and advocacy services. In 2010, the agency provided referral services to 310 families and financial assistance to 250 families. The grant will also assist with the costs of a no-freeze shelter for women and children. The Salvation Army serves as one of the bridge agencies for the region’s Homeless Prevention Rapid Re-Housing Program, a federally- and Hartford Foundation- funded effort to develop a systemic approach to ending homelessness and keep people safely housed.
- My Sisters’ Place: $220,000 to provide assistance to approximately 270 individuals (130 adults and 140 children) in the form of security deposits and rent to families transitioning to permanent housing. The agency serves as a liaison between landlords and individuals and families who are referred from area programs, makes payments directly to the landlords and also provides support services to clients related to housing.
- Immaculate Conception Shelter and Housing Corporation: $174,000 to support the costs of housing a minimum of 20 additional men per night in its emergency shelter and to provide services to up to 60 men per night at the City of Hartford’s No-Freeze Shelter. On the coldest of winter nights, Immaculate serves up to 150 men in the two shelters.
The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for the 29-town Greater Hartford region, dedicated to improving the quality of life for area residents. The Hartford Foundation receives gifts from thousands of generous individuals and families, and in 2010, awarded grants of more than $29 million to a broad range of area nonprofit organizations, the largest amount granted in the Foundation’s history. For more information about the Hartford Foundation, and its strategic plan, Accelerate Success, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888