How one non-profit is tackling homelessness in New Haven County

---

HAMDEN, Conn. — Every one out of four citizens lived at, or below, the poverty line in New Haven in 2019, according to City-data.com. This compared to 10% of all of Connecticut.

This issue facing New Haven county is why non-profit Columbus House, a homeless shelter providing housing and resources to New Haven's homeless populations, got started.

"For people who are unsheltered — people who are sleeping in places not fit for human habitation — we do outreach," Middleton said. "We have one transitional housing project, a place where you can stay for up to two years. A huge amount of our work is focused on what's called permanent supportive housing."

Permanent supportive housing, according to the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, is an innovative model which provides a blend of services to individuals without access to affordable housing and healthcare.

"[PSH is] housing that people with really high needs move into," Middleton said. "It costs them a third of whatever their income is to live in these units and then we provide ongoing case management."

Columbus House opened its first location in 1982 at 200 Columbus Ave., the location found in the video. Since its founding, however, Columbus House has introduced seven additional locations into its program across the county.

The town of Hamden is also fighting a battle with homelessness as local shelters and churches advocate for food drives and warming shelters in the winter.

The Grace and St. Peter's Episcopal Church near the corner of Whitney Avenue and Dixwell Avenue, in particular, offers its Dinner-for-a-Dollar program every Friday night from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

"Love that program," Middleton said about Grace and St. Peter's Friday night event. "We were hoping to run a warming center in the basement of that church this year — the Hamden Warming Center."

Ultimately, the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus prohibited the partnership between the church and the New Haven-based non-profit, Middleton said. Instead, the town of Hamden is running the warming shelter out of the Keefe Community Center on 11 Pine St.