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During these frigid months of winter, it becomes much more challenging to assist every individual with their specific needs. We are beginning to see a rise in the amount of people who are living outside in the Greater Waterbury Area. Fortunately, thanks to our amazing donors, we received a bunch of resource bags from Entrepreneur's Source in Southbury and also from the folks at Liberty Bank in Naugatuck. With these resource bags, we are able to hand out a bag to each of our clients to carry their belongings in and to utilize the materials that are given to them in each bag. Each bag consisted of items such as hand warmers, hats/gloves, a small blanket, various snack items, and more.  As of January 11, we have 13 individuals who are document ready and waiting on a housing voucher. Unfortunately, we are seeing a decrease in the amount of housing vouchers that are available for our clients. This means that our folks are having to stay outside much longer than in previous years. In the past 2 months, we were able to assist 8 individuals get into stable housing or into a long term treatment program. We are hopeful to increase those numbers during the 2025 year.

Our program has received an influx of clients looking to enter detox. In the past 2 months, Josh and I have been able to assist 7 different clients with getting into a detox/rehab facility. One of the clients we assisted had never been into treatment before, so she was very anxious and hesitant going into it. Her and I sat together and began to call the Access Line to see if beds were available for her. After several hours, we were informed that there was an issue with her insurance where she was deemed ineligible for Husky Insurance. Luckily, after a few phone calls, we were able to get to the bottom of the issue with her insurance. This entire process took place over 3 days and each day was tougher than the last regarding this client's state of mind, feeling towards treatment, and overall health. Currently, she is still in treatment and is thriving there! Once she has completed her program, she will be able to move into her new apartment. As of November 1st, we had 41 clients on our caseload. Out of those 41, we have 22 clients who are matched to a housing voucher or are next in line to be matched. This is very important to note because this allows us to focus more on those individuals who have no documentation at all or those who need a more hands-on level of care. We are hopeful that we can see a quick turn around for our folks who have housing vouchers with this frigid winter coming very soon.

Due to the continuing rise of rents, there has been a significant increase in the amount of people living outside in Waterbury. Our program has received 14 new clients as of August 1, with 6 of these individuals being over the age of 55. We are noticing more and more families who are becoming homeless, but we are specifically seeing more single mothers with young children having to resort to sleeping in their cars until there is shelter space available.  On a positive note, we were able to house one of our clients who has been struggling with homelessness for over 3 years. Words cannot describe the smile on his face when he walked into his apartment for the first time.

The month of June definitely brought its challenges with the main one being the humidity. The Governor activated the “Extreme Hot Weather Protocol” during the back half of this month. Agencies and public buildings became cooling centers during this time, allowing people to get out of the extreme humidity and heat for a bit to get some water and cool off. Even when this protocol was not put in place, we were making sure all of our friends who are sleeping outside had plenty of water, ice packs. We are also fortunate to hand out some personal battery fans to help them keep our friends cool thanks to donations.  One encounter of my work that I would like to share is regarding a 72 year old man who reported to be living outside for nearly a month. Once Josh and I met with the client, he discussed with us his medical concerns that led him to being sent to the hospital recently. This client was unable to return to the shelter due to requiring a handicapped accessible facility. Unfortunately, there were zero beds available in the entire state. During the intake with this client, his health began to decline so we made a call for an ambulance to pick him up. He was sent to the hospital where he was nearly discharged with no safety plan in place. We began pleading with the nurses to keep him for more observation and fortunately they listened. After further observation, they found that he had serious heart complications and he required surgery. He is now currently in a short term rehab facility and then he will be placed into residential living. This is a glimpse of the work we do and one highlight of the month.

Over the month of April Josh and I were able to meet with over 40 different clients and provide the necessary services for each individual. We were able to help 3 clients in particular get their own housing. We have 2 more that are awaiting to get their keys in the coming week. This has been an exciting time for our clients. These clients have struggled with homelessness for over a year and also have many physical/medical conditions that have made their experience being outside that much tougher. We currently have over 25% of our clients in the housing search with another 35% who are document ready awaiting the proper housing voucher.  With the warmer weather approaching, Josh and I are beginning to prepare our clients by providing them with bottles of water and “rapid response” bags that contain hygiene products, socks, cleaning wipes, a small blanket, flashlight, and various snack items. These bags were graciously donated to us thanks to the Cornerstone Church of Cheshire.

Earlier this month, I received a call from Lt. Stokes from Waterbury Police regarding an encampment of ours that has gotten the attention of the Police Chief. He informed me that this location needed to be cleaned up by the end of the week or they would have to come in and clear everyone out. So, I was able to clear out the mess with help from one of our clients and we reached back out to Lt. Stokes to have the refuse team come and gather all of the bags of garbage we brought out. I am hopeful that the continued relationship we have with the Waterbury Police Department will ensure the safety, well-being, and wrap-around support that benefits our clients.  One of the challenges I have faced these past couple months is when we get clients matched to vouchers, we are seeing that it is taking much longer for them to find apartments. This means that our clients have to remain outside in the elements much longer than they had anticipated in the past. Currently, we have 10 of our clients who are matched to a housing voucher and out of those 10, 7 of them have had a voucher longer than 3 months. We are hopeful to see a turn around soon.

February brought along some drastic weather for our clients to endure. Josh and I continue to meet with our clients at least once a week to check in with them, complete required paperwork for housing, and provide necessary supplies for them to be able to survive the winter elements. I continue to see an increase in clients who are willing to enter Detox. In the past, clients would be hesitant to go into a detox facility due to past experiences, struggles with mental health or substances, or even just overall not being 100% ready. Josh and I were able to advocate for and assist in bringing a client to a detox facility in Southern CT. This client has had ongoing struggles with alcohol but with our continued support during the past few months of knowing this individual, they were finally ready to take their step and begin their recovery journey.  As mentioned in the previous blog, our caseload is still increasing due to the shelter being at capacity and no warming centers opening up due to the temperature staying where it has been. Clients are resorting to sleeping in abandoned buildings, tents, or in their cars.

During the frigid month of January, keeping clients warm and dry becomes one of our top priorities. Josh and I are making sure to check in with our clients who are living outside at least once a week if not more. During the winter months we typically give propane tanks for their heaters, more blankets due to theirs being soaked from the weather, and constantly providing additional food and warm clothing. A recent barrier we faced in our work has been obtaining documents such as (Photo ID’s, Birth Certificates, and Social Security Cards) for our clients however lately our clients appear to be more motivated and receptive to the services we offer. Another successful outcome I have seen throughout my work is the number of clients willing to go into Detox. Josh and I have assisted 6 individuals in getting a detox bed. We are hopeful that these individuals will get into long term treatment through the detox facility which will then assist them with housing. One of the challenges I have faced has been the increase in our caseload along with the limited space for these clients to go. We receive many self-referrals in addition to referrals from the CAN and Waterbury PD about individuals who are living outside, in cars or vacant buildings. The local shelter has been at capacity every day for the last few weeks due to the cold weather. Sadly, the governor has only put the “Cold Weather Protocol” into effect once this winter and that was 1/17-1/22. We are finding more and more individuals being stuck outside with no place to go. Even when the warming center was open both the shelter and warming center were at full capacity.

This month, Josh and I have been actively involved in facilitating the admission of three individuals into rehab/detox facilities. The first client, grappling with a profound struggle with alcohol, expressed a sense of urgency seeking help, conveying the sentiment that he felt he was running out of time. Despite our attempts to secure a program through local hospitals proving to be successful we had to explore other avenues. During a recent check in the client indicated the immediate need to go to the emergency room after learning no detox beds were available in the state, yet regrettably he was discharged after a brief stay. Undeterred, upon arriving at the hospital to pick him up, we diligently called the access line multiple times throughout the day. After several hours of persistent efforts, we succeeded in arranging transportation for him to the detox facility he had long sought. In another instance this past week, we received a call from a concerned officer reporting two individuals living along the riverside required relocation. Upon arrival it became apparent that both individuals were facing greater risks than initially presumed. Both clients shared their struggle with substance misuse and urgently appealed for assistance in securing detox beds.