Danbury ad hoc committee approves $90,000 Small Cities grant to support shelter operations

Danbury’s ad hoc committee on grant review voted unanimously to accept an additional $90,000 from the Connecticut Department of Housing’s Small Cities program to support shelter operations and to extend the grant’s performance period to Aug. 30, 2026.

The director of the Department of Health told the committee the Department of Housing notified the city that $90,000 was available and asked whether the city could use those funds for shelter operations and management. “We received notification from the Department of Housing that they had additional funding available, in the amount of $90,000, and they asked if we would be able to use these funds for shelter operations and management, and we said yes,” the director said.

The funding amendment follows earlier awards to Danbury: the committee discussed a prior additional award of $124,000 approved in December 2025 and an original 2024 award. Committee members and staff exchanged figures during the meeting; based on the remarks, participants estimated cumulative awards to Danbury since mid-2024 at roughly $414,000, though the transcript records inconsistent arithmetic and participants did not present a formal reconciled total.

Committee members also noted a typographical error in the draft resolution that listed the year as “02/2006”; staff said the correct year is 2026. The chair summarized the proposal as two actions: accepting the additional $90,000 and extending the funding period to Aug. 30, 2026, and invited questions from council members.

Councilman Mike Flanagan moved to approve the amendment; Councilman Michael Henry seconded. The committee approved the motion by unanimous voice vote with no roll-call recorded.

The meeting adjourned by acclamation at 6:08 p.m.