Resources

The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development is is proposing a drastic and immediate change to the Continuum of Care (CoC) program, the main source of federal funding to help end homelessness in Connecticut. This fact sheet outlines the statewide impact of these changes.

VeteransGuide.org and the 2025 Veterans Affairs Disability Calculator, an initiative by the Disability Advocate Group, LLC, is dedicated to helping U.S. armed forces veterans understand and secure the VA disability compensation they deserve. 

The CT Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services (DMHAS) Latino Outreach Program provides regional community outreach services designed to reduce the stigma that surrounds substance use in the Latino community. Latino Outreach workers provide informational sessions and training in traditional settings such as social service agencies as well as non-traditional settings within the Latino community to raise awareness on overdose prevention and substance use programs.

The Emergency Shelter Learning Series provides guidance and tools to help shelters become more effective and accessible. Focused on a Housing First approach, it offers webinars and resources to improve shelter practices and better support people in crisis.

This video from the Homeless and Housing Resource Center highlights five practical strategies for making shelters more welcoming and accessible to people experiencing homelessness. It focuses on removing common obstacles that keep individuals from entering or staying in shelters, such as strict rules or unsafe environments. The video encourages adopting trauma-informed, low-barrier approaches that prioritize safety, dignity, and trust-building between staff and residents.

This page explains how to apply for various benefits and services through the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS). Applicants can apply online, by phone, by mail, or in person. The page also highlights options for assistance to individuals with disabilities to help access programs like health coverage, food assistance, and cash aid.

The National Alliance to End Homelessness provides toolkits and training materials on Permanent Supportive Housing, a proven solution that combines affordable housing with voluntary support services to help people with chronic homelessness achieve stability and independence. It offers guidance on best practices, implementation, and service coordination.

This toolkit is intended to give you all of the information you need to know about the policymaking process and effective advocacy strategies. In addition, this toolkit will teach you how to effectively build relationships with policymakers and influence their support of your policy recommendations. Finally, this guide also talks about strategies for sharing your personal experiences while ensuring that you choose what and how you share.

This self-paced training discusses the Olmstead Decision, defines quality supportive housing, and describes the different models of integrated supportive housing.

Throughout the course, you will have the opportunity to react to scenarios and case studies, explore sample conversation starters, and reflect on the information provided to identify key takeaways that you will use in your practice.

This self-paced training is the first part of our supportive housing onboarding series. This short self-paced module introduces supportive housing models, approaches, and components of quality supportive housing.

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act provides for the delivery of services that remove barriers to the enrollment and retention of homeless children and youth in schools. This session will be beneficial and provide information to assist school staff in the liaison role.