Q. How many people are homeless in CT? Answer
33,000 people experienced homelessness in Connecticut last year. There has been a 20% increase in homelessness in the past two years.
Q. How many people are homeless in New Haven? Answer
More than 700 people have experienced at least one night of homelessness in New Haven last year.
Q. How many shelter beds are there in the city to take care of people who are homeless? Answer
There are only 300 beds in the system for them to use.
Q. What happens to the rest of those without a place to stay? Answer
Columbus House runs a Seasonal Men's Overflow Shelter from October to April. There is currently no overflow shelter for women in New Haven, so Columbus House accommodates the surplus at its Boulevard location.
Q. What are the leading causes of homelessness? Answer
The leading causes of homelessness include: poverty, lack of affordable housing, substance abuse, mental illness, unemployment, injury or illness.
Q. How prevalent is mental illness among the homeless? Answer
30% of single homeless adults experience some form of mental illness
Q. What role does drug and alcohol abuse play in homelessness? Answer
60% of homeless adults are drug and/or alcohol dependant.
Q. Who are the homeless? Answer
60% are men and 40% are women
Approximately 5% of our clients are veterans.
Q. Do they have a job? Answer
Many are working poor. They earn a wage but simply don't earn enough to pay a security deposit and rent.
Q. How much does it cost to rent an apartment in New Haven? Answer
The Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in New Haven is $946 monthly. The average monthly income for a single homeless person is between $200 and $280.
Q. Is Columbus House a Government agency? Answer
No. Columbus House is a 501 c 3 non-profit charity that must raise funds each year in order to meet its operating and program costs.
Q. Where does your financial support come from? Answer
The majority of our funding comes from federal, state and local grants that Columbus House must apply for annually with no guarantees and usually with no COLA increases. The remainder of our revenue comes from individual, corporate and foundation contributions.
Q. Does Columbus House work with other agencies? Answer
Every year Columbus House makes over 4,000 referrals to other community-based social service agencies.
