Nonprofits See Covid Downturn Begin

For a moment, the leaders of Continuum of Care thought they would have to close a crucial homelessness prevention program this year, right when many in New Haven are suddenly losing their jobs.

The city has provided New Haveners with a first month of rent through Continuum of Care’s Transition Assistance Program for 20 years, according to the nonprofit’s vice president of fundraising and communications, Deborah Cox. Cox said that the nonprofit was told this year to request federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and was turned down.

“Given the conditions from Covid-19, we’ll see more and more people with dire need like this. To not be funded was pretty scary,” Cox told city alders on Wednesday evening.

The occasion was the second hearing on how to spend $8.2 million in CDBG and other federal grants. City staff reassured Continuum of Care over Zoom that they can still receive support from the city’s own coffers. The members of the Board of Alders committees reviewing the spending plan asked staff to confirm whether the nonprofit will receive that support.

Representatives of other homelessness and workforce development nonprofits from around the city echoed Cox’s message on Wednesday night. Unlike a CDBG previous hearing focused on nonprofit construction projects, the evening was full of testimonials about how Covid-19 has increased the numbers of people asking city nonprofits for help.

Steve Werlin of the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen said that 10 people visited the food pantry this week who had never needed social services in the past.

“This is the point in the month when people have the least amount of need. It really worries me about what we’ll see at the end of the month,” Werlin said.

“The past few weeks have been especially devastating to our clients. We have seen an uptick in those laid off from their jobs,” said IRIS Development Specialist Tabitha Sookdeo.

Other organizations, like New Haven READS, are worried that the projected recession will cause the donations and grants they rely on to dwindle. Kirsten Levinsohn said that New Haven READS is considering major cuts, given the situation.

“We have 120 kids on our wait list, and we are working all the time to bring more kids in. It would break my heart if we had to close one our sites, but that’s the kind of thing we’re looking at,” Levinsohn said.

Not all organizations present at the Zoom meeting expressed coronavirus-related panic. Many neighborhood and youth-focused programs simply explained how their programs would continue once the pandemic ends.

One college access-focused group, Higher Heights, had a positive shutdown experience to report.

Higher Heights Executive Director Chaka Felder-McEntire said that the pandemic has led to more connections with students and parents, some of whom would not be able to travel to their office in person. She said that she intends to keep some of these technology-based ​“additional touches” after the pandemic ends.

“For example, last school year, we reached 250 students over 12 months. Now we are in direct [contact] with 300 in three weeks,” Felder-McEntire said.

Many alders expressed gratitude for the nonprofits’ work in their wards or in their own lives.

“Continue on being a blessing to New Haven,” Alder Brian Wingate said to Devonne Canady of Dixwell-based boxing club Elephant In The Room.