February 20, 2008 |
2008-R-0132 | |
HOMELESSNESS IN HARTFORD--REASONS | ||
| ||
By: Robin K. Cohen, Principal Analyst | ||
You asked whether more clients in Hartford's homeless shelters are homeless because they have been released from prison. You also wanted to know whether loss of public assistance benefits (e.g., Temporary Family Assistance (TFA)) has been a factor for Hartford shelter clients.
SUMMARY
Data for the last five federal fiscal years (October to September) suggest that an increasing number of Hartford's homeless shelter residents may be homeless after they have been released from incarceration. Statewide, the percentage of homeless residents citing this as their reason for homelessness has remained fairly constant, at about 8%, while the Hartford number fluctuated between 40 and 48%, except when it dropped to 27% in FFY 06.
The Department of Social Services (DSS), which collects demographic data from the shelters, does not ask them to report whether their clients are homeless due to loss of public assistance.
SHELTER DEMOGRAPHICS IN HARTFORD
While the statewide percentage of shelter residents citing release from jail or prison as their reason for homelessness remained virtually the same between FFYs 03 and 08 (about 8%), the number of Hartford shelter clients citing this reason has grown. This number continues to be substantially higher than the statewide percentage, reaching nearly 50% in FFY 07.
Table 1 lists the Hartford shelters and provides the numbers of clients in each citing release from jail or prison as the reason for their homelessness for FFYs 03 through 07.
Table 1: Residents in Hartford Shelters Due to Release from Jail or Prison (FFYs 03-07)
Shelter |
FFY 03 |
FFY 04 |
FFY 05 |
FFY 06 |
FFY 07 |
% Change (from FFYs 03-07) |
Immaculate Conception |
100 |
217 |
129 |
62 |
142 |
42% |
My Sister's Place |
0 |
4 |
5 |
0 |
6 |
600 |
Open Hearth |
116 |
25 |
43 |
25 |
52 |
(55) |
St. Elizabeth (Mercy) |
14 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
(100) |
Salvation Army |
2 |
5 |
0 |
4 |
10 |
400 |
South Park Inn |
96 |
64 |
94 |
71 |
106 |
10.4 |
Stewart McKinney |
74 |
53 |
131 |
92 |
116 |
57 |
YWCA |
28 |
13 |
Nothing reported |
15 |
12 |
(57) |
Total Hartford shelter residents citing this reason |
430 |
381 |
402 |
269 |
444 |
|
Total statewide shelter residents citing this reason |
979 |
957 |
1,060 |
997 |
924 |
|
Percentage of residents statewide citing this reason |
8.0% |
8.5% |
9.0% |
8.9% |
8.2% |
|
Percentage of Hartford residents citing this reason |
43.9% |
39.8% |
37.9% |
27% |
48.1% |
Source: OLR analysis using DSS Annual Homeless Shelter Demographic Reports
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