Why Tri-Town Shelter Services Exists

Tri-Town Shelter Services temporarily houses fifteen residents, either families or adults, and is staffed twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Given our 15 bed capacity x 364 days in a fiscal year, we provide shelter for a total of 5,460 evenings. During the past year we have provided housing for 264 adults and 39 children, making 303 clients served.

According to the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, 33,000 people in the State experience homelessness in a 12 month period; 13,000 of these are children and this equates to 20,000 households in need of housing over the course of a year.

"A Social Barometer of CT" (Spring 2004) states that, "Over the past five years the number of housing related requests handled by 2-1-1 Specialists increased by 120%, compared with the overall number of service requests which increased by 53%. During the same time period the number of calls from those homeless increased by an astounding 357%. 

From Ansonia to Woodstock, callers are trying to get shelter in one of Connecticut's 52 homeless shelters.  Currently there are 46 shelters in 26 Town's that receive state funding with a combined bed capacity is 2,141.  Oftentimes shelter staff have to turn away a request for shelter due to there being no more space.  Last year Tri-Town Shelter Services referred an average of 318 people per month to other services due to being full. 

Locally, we are here to serve the undesirable plight of those who have been overcome by "life's curves."  When life became more than we could handle by ourselves, the support of others carried us until we were able to "bounce back." Imagine not having the supports or role models that helped you to learn the skills needed to overcome. Given the ever changing social, economic and employment landscape, others need us to come alongside them for a season so they can reclaim responsible control over their lives.

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