Warming Centers Open, While City Looks To Long-Term Homeless Fixes

More great photography from the NHI. That image of a befuddled Elicker with his hands in the air encapsulates his tenure as mayor.

It's a very good thing - Thank you to the City and the volunteers.Now before we eat or do anything.
Let us Pray, and Pray and Pray and Pray and Pray and Pray and Pray.
clunk...thump..thud..kaboosh...OH LORD , almost reaching nirvana

Ummm... "(Government) Officials" and "faith-based" "which includes a focus on studying (religion)?" Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.........................

Meanwhile, the nonprofit homeless-housing agency New Reach announced Tuesday that it has received a five-year $2.5 million from a philanthropy launched by Amazon’s founder ​“to move the needle on re-housing and supporting families experiencing homelessness.” New Reach helps homeless individuals move to longer-term housing supported by social services. It said in a release that it plans to use the grant, issued by the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund,
Taking money from Amazon.Are you kidding.This is Blood money off of the backs of the Workers at Amazon warehouses who have complained about poor working conditions,Who are demand living wages and safer working conditions.

“We want to make sure people do not freeze on our watch,” said city homeless services coordinator Velma George (pictured above).

Give me a break.You all had a year to work on this.These warming centers are nothing more then cattle cars for the homeless and cash cows for these Poverty Pimps.And to the Minsters who are in the pictures. [Luke 9:58] says, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head,”

Szczoey and Curator, I also believe there should be strict separation of church and state. But I don't want to preclude faith-based groups from providing needed services.

There are workable practices to avoid conflicts. For years, I have volunteered at a food pantry that operates from St. Paul and St. James Church. The program was originally a ministry of the parish, but now is run by a separate nonprofit organization. (I was a parishioner when I started volunteering, but have been an agnostic for decades.)

Guests are not asked about their beliefs (or immigration status) when they come for food. Volunteers do not engage in any form of proselytization. At the same time, the religious pictures on the walls of the church hall where the program operates are not covered.

I do not know whether the 180 Center follows similar practices when it provides government-funded services. I think it should.

@Kevin McCarthy: Without our religious institutions, people would starve, freeze and die. We should be thankful however, this is a problem:

Connecticut General Statutes section 52-571b (a) "(A)ny political subdivision of the state shall not burden a person's exercise of religion"

"'Disciples',,,help homeless visitors as part of a broader 18-month addiction-recovery program, which includes a focus on studying Christianity."

Looking for "long term solutions." The only war longer than the war on drugs is The war on Poverty.

“Any of us could one day be homeless. Our value in New haven is to step up and help people who are struggling,” Mayor Justin Elicker (pictured above) said at Tuesday’s announcement. So causing the problem with inflation , Gas prices, food prices. fuel to heat homes prices. He's right many more will be forced into the cold. Good job Mayor give yourself a raise all is as planned now is the time to be the savor looking at the next election.

Amazon and other mega billion dollar companies, if they paid their fair share of taxes, and paid their workers living wages, under reasonable working conditions, with decent retirement funds, and paid family and medical leave, if they insisted on buying American made and assembled goods, which would bring manufacturing back to the USA, and donate money for building affordable workforce housing, and pushed for universal healthcare, and then with their tax payments we could have quality government subsidized childcare and education K- college, we could turn the tide on poverty in this country, improve the ability for workers to make a living wage, fix the supply chain issues, create more affordable housing, and we break the connection between employment and health insurance to instead have a universal government health insurance program, like most of the rest of the industrialized countries on our planet.
No one person or company needs billions of dollars, while the rest of the country is trying to figure out how to feed and shelter and heat their homes, and educate and care for the health of their families, while they struggle working multiple jobs at poverty wages, just to survive.

> Curator - yes it's church members and church orginisations coming out with food and socks on cold winter nights and holidays , but they're not the only ones but are the majority. Some area folk just don't have time or the health for it and contribute $ to the causes or drop coats off for the homeless.

I was in the basement of St.James food pantry and sunrise cafe before , I thought the paintings were pretty nice artwork. I didn't have to be subject to 10 minutes of sermon and mandatory hand clapping to volunteer or get a cup of coffee.
I did pass by and stop to peek and listen to the man at 180 center when it was on Grand Avenue by Jefferson St.
Loud raucus praying to Jesus non stop all morning. From the outside I couldn't take it and had to leave , That's was my option, One I Thanked the lord that I had.

> Curator - yes it's church members and church orgs coming out with food and socks on cold winter nights and holidays, but they are not the only ones but are the majority. Some area folk just don't have time or the health for it so they contribute $ to the causes from home or drop coats off for the homeless.
> Kevin I think church and state should be kept seperate but I am not a zealous Seperation fanatic, I have seen online protests and removal supported by the ACLU - But they make good points and are in our countries legal bounds (like 10 commandment statues off of city hall property , which I never thought of before) I&#039;ve seen protesters come with Attys to remove .Oh yeah the menorrah and holy manger scene on the green might have to go, It would be interesting to see, what with 10 looming frowning churches around.<br />
I was in the basement of St.James food pantry and sunrise cafe before , I thought the paintings were pretty nice artwork. I didn't have to be subject to 10 minutes of sermon and mandatory hand clapping to volunteer or get a cup of coffee.
I did pass by and stop to peek and listen to the man at 180 center when it was on Grand Avenue by Jefferson St.
Loud raucus praying to Jesus non stop all morning. From the outside I couldn't take it and had to leave , That's was my option, One I Thanked the lord that I had.

@1644 Do you really not understand how giving people a choice between freezing to death and studying Christianity is a burden on the free exercise of religion? .

"The facilities have a combined capacity to help up to 160 of the region’s estimated 200 homeless individuals."

This number is quite striking to me. It seems to me that a dedicated task force could assign two dozen or so of these individuals each to about ten caseworkers in order to truly address each of their individual issues and ongoing difficulties.