Paul Bass Photo
Youth Continuum’s Carol Shomo, CCA’s Bonita Grubbs, & NH Home Recovery’s Kellyann Day at Monday’s event.
Amid a cascade of news about painful budget cuts, New Haven temporarily was a “big tent” again Monday as five agencies picked up an extra $20,000 to house homeless women and children.
The agencies received the checks at a ceremony in the second-floor atrium at City Hall.
The money came from a community fundraiser called “Tent City” that took place last November. (Read about that here.) Tent City started out as a protest by advocates against cuts in city grants to homeless shelters. City Hall embraced the protest and helped organize it as an annual event, bringing together schools and community groups to set up tents on the Green one night each fall to raise money for groups that help the homeless.
The $20,000 was raised through November’s event. Life Haven, New Haven Home Recovery , and Youth Continuum each received $5,000. Christian Community Action and Domestic Violence Services (a project of the Birmingham Group) each picked up $2,500.
The focus this year was on agencies that help women and children, the fastest-growing segment of New Haven’s homeless population. At last count (a year old), New Haven had an estimated 600 homeless people living here, including 250 public-school students, according to mayoral spokesman Adam Joseph.
Melinda Tuhus File Photo
A scene from last November’s Tent City.
Tent City represents the kind of community pulling-together that New Haven needs in those tough economic times, Mayor John DeStefano said at Monday’s event.
“Keep your seat belts on. It’s going to be a tough year or two. We will get through it,” he advised the assembled workers from private and city social-service agencies.
City human services chief Chisara Asomugha with Mayor DeStefano Monday.
The event took place one day before DeStefano releases his proposed budget for the next fiscal year. It will include deep cuts in city services and most probably extensive layoffs.
However, he announced at the event, city funding for homeless agencies will remain basically constant in his new budget, at $1.1 million.
Given the cutbacks from previous years and the growing demand, that means New Haveners concerned about the homeless will need to pitch more tents.