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Connecticut webinar urges flexible funding and cross‑sector action to shield young children from homelessness
Summary
Speakers at the Office of Early Childhood webinar highlighted rising calls for housing help, data showing thousands of Connecticut residents experiencing homelessness, and local strategies—Head Start on Housing, McKinney‑Vento school liaisons, shelter wraparound services and flexible dollars—to prevent family homelessness and protect young children's development.
Elena Truworthy, acting commissioner of the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, opened a state webinar titled “There’s No Place Like Home,” saying that housing stability is foundational for early brain development and child wellbeing.
In a keynote, Sarah Fox, chief executive officer of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, presented data and called for cross‑sector solutions. Fox said Connecticut faces an acute housing shortage — "nearly 100,000 units," she said — and described a 57% increase in 2‑1‑1 calls for housing and shelter assistance over the past three years. She also cited the coalition’s counts: a single‑day point‑in‑time tabulation showing hundreds of family households experiencing homelessness and a by‑name list with thousands of people statewide, which she said includes families with young children.
Why it matters: Panelists linked those housing pressures to child development and educational outcomes. Anne Giordano, an early childhood specialist at…
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