May 7, 2025 - Opinion by Jered Bruzas and Jess Kubicki as published on CT MIRROR - Mary, like many across Connecticut, has struggled with the skyrocketing cost of living. At one point, she was on the brink of homelessness — but thankfully, she was able to benefit from short-term financial assistance provided by the United Way of Greater Waterbury Flexible Assistance Fund that allowed her to regain control of her finances, and begin building a more stable future.
“This assistance didn’t just save my home — it gave me the breathing room I needed to catch up on other important bills as well,” Mary told our team at the United Way of Greater Waterbury. “I’ve been able to avoid late fees and additional charges that used to pile up and make things even harder. This help came at a time when I needed it most.”
Not everyone has Mary’s story, however.
Mary was not yet on the verge of losing her house when assistance came, as is usually the case when individuals or families receive assistance. By that time, it’s often too late because for too long, efforts to combat homelessness in Connecticut have been reactive instead of proactive.
Throughout the state, a series of Coordinated Access Networks (CANs) provide a streamlined process to help connect unhoused individuals and families at risk with critical service providers and essential resources at no cost. While these programs work hard to mitigate the effects of homelessness, they are simply not enough to permanently solve the issue.
What statewide and federal policies consider “preventative” often translates to trying to stop homelessness from occurring right when individuals are about to become homeless. To truly begin fixing these systemic issues, we need to rethink what preventing homelessness really means. It’s often too late to stop the financial and psychological effects of homelessness by the time people are on the verge of being evicted.
In order to truly prevent homelessness, we must begin responding further upstream and acting before someone qualifies for what the state currently considers being on the verge of losing their home. Not only is a proactive response the right thing to do, but we can relieve the financial burden on our strained homelessness support system: It is far more costly to care for and rehouse families after they have been evicted than it is to provide the support needed to keep them housed in the first place.
Our state partners at the Connecticut Department of Housing launched a pilot Homeless Prevention Program from 2020 to 2021 that provided financial assistance, landlord-tenant mediation, and case management to at-risk households. The pilot program demonstrated that households receiving case management and mediation were less likely to come into contact with the state’s homelessness response system, even though the state never scaled up the program.
Here at the United Way of Greater Waterbury, we track the growing number of households that are asset limited, income constrained, and employed, or ALICE. These are folks who are working, yet cannot afford the cost of basic necessities. ALICE households —disproportionately households of color— must often choose between keeping food on the table, paying rent, clothing their children, or affording medication. Currently, 40% of households in Connecticut are considered ALICE. A more holistic approach to homelessness prevention would consider the needs of the ALICE population, and make it easier for some of these households to receive the services that we know can be impactful at the first sign of trouble, like case management and mediation.
To protect our vulnerable neighbors here in Waterbury, we are proposing a holistic homelessness prevention strategy that would bring dedicated case workers into hubs such as soup kitchens and food pantries, reaching vulnerable households earlier and helping them manage factors such as landlord relationships. Unlike traditional programs that primarily address crisis-driven homelessness, this proactive strategy would focus on intervening early to stabilize households before they reach the cliff’s edge.
The aim is to prevent 150-175 households (or approximately 550-650 residents) from becoming homeless across Greater Waterbury, which would account for roughly 10% of evictions citywide. By connecting households with local resources, support systems, and limited temporary financial assistance to prevent housing loss, we could promote long-term housing stability and self-sufficiency for households at risk of homelessness.
At the local level, it is critical that we raise $1 million for this program annually. At the state level, we are joining statewide advocates and calling on the legislature and Gov. Ned Lamont to include $7.8 million to fund existing prevention efforts.
By looking beyond funding assistance, and reducing barriers to services, we can solve homelessness before it begins, both in Waterbury and across the state.
Jered Bruzas is Chief Impact Officer, United Way of Greater Waterbury.
Jess Kubicki is Chief Initiative Officer of Opening Doors Initiative at the Housing Collective.
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All In is a network of grassroots community organizing alliances in a growing number of Connecticut cities and towns. We are neighbors working together on affordable housing, food insecurity, and a place at the table in the decisions that affect our lives.
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