New Haven city staff and local homeless-service providers told the Board of Alders’ Health and Human Services Committee on Oct. 23 that demand for shelter and related services has grown regionally and that planned winter operations will not fully close the gap.

City housing official Chiariza Kent, who presented the Office of Housing and Homelessness winter plan, said New Haven “envisions a city where homelessness is rare, brief and does not occur,” and outlined a mix of shelter, warming centers and prevention efforts the city and partners plan to use between Nov. 15 and April 15.

The presentation cited regional figures from the Coordinated Access Network: a by‑name list of 1,196 people experiencing homelessness and a shelter wait list of about 346 people (296 males, 140 females). Kent told alderpersons New Haven and its partners have opened or will open warming centers, operate four daytime navigation hubs and launched a 24‑hour congregate shelter at 645 Grand Avenue. She also said the city added 12 supportive housing units through a grant to Fellowship Place that will come online in 2026.

Columbus House chief operating officer Kathleen Eaton said the region faces a projected winter bed gap of about 341 and estimated that closing that gap for the season would require roughly $1 million in additional funding. “The expected gap in beds the funding is expected to require about a million dollars,” Eaton said, describing planned expansions that include a family triage site to operate Nov. 13 through April and an increase in main‑shelter capacity from 81 to about 100 beds.

Service providers and outreach workers described rising need and heavier workloads. Sylvia Moscardelli, an outreach worker who has worked in the field since 1995, said unsheltered people now make up “about two‑thirds of the people who are homeless” and that outreach teams are struggling to keep contact and build trust when encampments are quickly cleared. “All people have value. Housing is a right, not a privilege,” she told the committee.

Speakers representing Continuum Care, Liberty Community Services, the Community Action Agency and NewReach described similar trends: an 82% increase in unsheltered homelessness in Greater New Haven since last year’s point‑in‑time count (other statewide figures referenced a 46% increase), rising numbers of older adults with complex medical needs, and families who are losing housing because rents have climbed far faster than incomes.

Providers listed year‑to‑date outcomes and service metrics for fiscal 2024–25: 750 households exited programs into permanent housing, 150 into temporary housing, 313 obtained full‑time employment, 483 enrolled in financial counseling and hundreds accessed health or behavioral‑health treatment through coordinated referrals. City staff said they are improving data capacity (including hiring a GIS data person) and coordinating regionally with Hamden, West Haven, Milford and others through the Greater New Haven Alliance to End Homelessness.

Multiple speakers urged the city to consider additional strategies beyond emergency shelter, including sanctioned safe‑camping or safe‑parking programs and master leasing models to increase deeply affordable options. Several public commenters and advocates also called for a moratorium on winter “sweeps” of encampments, clearer policies to preserve and return people’s belongings, extended bathroom and drinking‑water access downtown, and stronger eviction prevention funding.

Committee members asked for follow‑up data on year‑over‑year changes and a more concrete, prioritized map of how many supportive housing units the city and region need (speakers suggested planning first for dozens, then hundreds of units). City staff said they are coordinating with state agencies and regional partners and will provide more detailed numbers and the office’s strategic plan to the committee.

The workshop closed after extensive public testimony from service providers and people with lived experience; alderpersons and staff agreed to keep the conversation open and pursue both near‑term winter capacity and longer‑term housing investments.