Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part series exploring homelessness in rural Northwest Connecticut. Click here to read part one.
Ten years ago this month, the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation (NCCF) joined forces with New Beginnings of Northwest Hills Litchfield County, a collaborative of several dozen local and regional social service agencies, in announcing a comprehensive plan to end homelessness.
Since then, the plan has served as a roadmap for aligning housing and an array of services spread out across a vast rural Northwest Corner.
Fast forward to 2023, and after eight consecutive years of decline, the number of unhoused people is surging, fueled by inflation, increased evictions, soaring housing costs and a lack of housing overall.
“Homeless work has changed dramatically in the ensuing years,” said Julia Scharnberg, vice president of community engagement for NCCF and lead researcher and writer for “The Plan to End Homeless in Northwest Connecticut.”
“When we first put together this working group, it really brought together a remarkable cross-sector collaboration of organizations,” she explained.
“Working together, we came to the understanding that homelessness is a rather holistic problem and that housing is the foundation to having a stable situation,” enabling people to focus on the rest of their problems, like mental illness, domestic violence, job loss or reentry into society after release from an addiction treatment facility, noted Scharnberg.
“Back in 2013 there wasn’t a coordinated approach…it was very bureaucratic. People had to go to a whole bunch of different agencies.”
But within one year, the state was divided into coordinated access networks (CANS) of which there are currently seven. “We are part of the Northwest CAN covering from the Massachusetts border to Waterbury,” Scharnberg explained.
“We are very blessed here in Northwest Connecticut. We have a wonderful nonprofit community of people calling each other, trading information back and forth, and making teams around people.”
Pete Rourke, 61, is shown here at the flagpole recently dedicated to veterans outside the FISH NWCT shelter, where he has been staying since Sept. 20. With the help of a network of social services, Rourke, an Air Force veteran, recently signed a lease for a studio apartment.Photo by Debra A. AleksinasA call to action
With winter looming and anticipating a “pending humanitarian crisis,” due to shortage of shelter space and funding, a coalition of service providers sent out a call to action in late fall.
State and local advocates for the homeless in Northwest Connecticut gathered Nov. 10 at the Torrington Library to discuss homelessness response programs to support urgent funding for cold weather emergency winter shelters and to address chronic underfunding of the front line for nonprofit shelters and response programs.
Panelists for the roundtable included Jessica Gueniat, Torrington Library director; Nancy Cannavo, president of The Gathering Place; State Rep. Jay Case (R-63); Sarah Fox, CEO of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness; Deirdre DiCara, executive director of FISH NWCT; and Leonardo Ghio, project director with the Northwest Hills Council of Governments.
At the time of the roundtable, funds earmarked for the Northwest CAN for 2023 were delayed, as was the opening of an emergency overflow shelter, compounding the urgency for action.
Gov. Ned Lamont and the congressional delegation announced earlier this year that the state is receiving an $18 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to address homelessness among people in unsheltered settings and in rural communities, and the funds, directed at homeless outreach services, access points to homeless services and permanent supportive housing, will be distributed over the next three years.
“Stable housing is not only critical for the development of safe communities, but it is a moral imperative,” said Lamont.
In her testimony before the Connecticut General Assembly’s Housing Committee in support of Raised House Bills No. 6554, “An Act Appropriating Fund for Certain Homeless Response Programs,” and Senate Bill NO. 909, “An Act Establishing a Right to Housing,” Fox said the pandemic and the increase in homelessness in the state has surged 39% over last year.
It takes a village
Reliable and consistent funding is essential, said advocates for the homeless, but so, too, is community involvement. Behind the scenes, friends and neighbors, too many to name, from throughout the Northwest Corner are the unsung heroes.
There is the couple who moved out of the area last year but return every week with two bags full of groceries for the homeless shelter; the volunteer who spent two and a half years keeping shelter residents COVID-19-free during the pandemic; the clergyman who unlocked the back door of the chapel on cold nights to give the unhoused a place to sleep; the many local businesses who pitch in to help with shelter repairs or supplies.
In the rural Northwest Corner towns where there are no dedicated shelters, social services agents shoulder the burden of identifying and assisting the unhoused or those who are at risk of homelessness.
“I have one client who is homeless and has been for quite a while,” said Malia Hill, Sharon’s Social Services director, who noted that the individual was frightened when seeking services in Torrington, as he didn’t feel safe there being among people with mental health issues.
“He feels this is a safer place here and he doesn’t want to live in cities. It’s his best option,” said Hill.
As DiCara noted, “No one is stereotypical in their story.”
Individuals, businesses and organizations from throughout the Northwest Corner donated warm-weather clothing to a recent coat drive for the homeless and low-income families, which drew about 600 people who arrived two hours before the giveaway and stretched around the corner for several hours, said shelter officials.Photo contributed
2-1-1 United Way Help Line: If you or someone you know is experiencing a housing crisis, call the United Way Help Line at 2-1-1 to schedule an intake.
Winsted YMCA Emergency Shelter, 480 Main St., Winsted: 860-379-0708
FISH/Friends in Service to Humanity of Northwestern Connecticut, Inc., 332 South Main St., Torrington: 860-496-1648
New Beginnings of Northwest Hills Litchfield County/The Gathering Place, 21 Prospect St., Suite A, Torrington: 860-618-3455
New Beginnings is the sponsoring organization of The Gathering Place, a drop-in center for the homeless. The Gathering Place serves as the local point of entry for all homeless, serving all 26 towns in Litchfield County
To volunteer or make a donation: Contact the social services agent in your community, or either of the nonprofit agencies above, to find out how to donate services, clothing, food or gas cards or your time as a volunteer.
— Compiled by Debra A. Aleksinas
Bryan Monge Orellana and Janneth Maribel Panjon Guallpa of Amenia are the parents of Ethan Nicolas Monge Panjon, Sharon Hospital’s first baby of 2026.
Later that morning, twins were born to Belinde and Erick Garcia of New Milford. Gabriella Garcia arrived at 8:17 a.m., weighing 5 pounds, 14 ounces and measuring 19 inches. One minute later, at 8:18 a.m., Isabella Garcia was born weighing 5 pounds, 8 ounces and measuring 18.5 inches.
Belinde and Erick Garcia, of New Milford, are the parents of twins Gabriella and Isabella, who were the second and third babies born in Sharon Hospital in 2026. Their older siblings, Matthew, 6, and Melanie, 3, are pictured. Photo provided
Area ambulance squad members and several first selectmen attend a Jan. 5 meeting hosted by Nuvance/Northwell to discuss emergency service providers.
“We haven’t missed a beat; we’re still taking calls,” said Andrea Downs, president of the Falls Village Volunteer Fire Department and an employee of NDP, speaking at the meeting, which was attended by ambulance squad members, first selectmen and representatives of Sharon Hospital.
Sharon Hospital announced Dec. 11 that it would not renew its annual agreement with NDP, ending a 28-year relationship and initially stating that service would cease Jan. 1. Hospital President and CEO Christina McCulloch said the decision was based on compliance concerns tied to the hospital’s role as sponsor.
“Being a sponsor is a big deal,” McCulloch said. “Our concerns were big enough that we couldn’t sign. It was a difficult decision.”
She said the hospital had discussed the issues with NDP representatives and cited unmet state requirements.
Without a sponsoring hospital, NDP could not operate in Connecticut. That issue was resolved when NDP finalized an agreement with Stamford Hospital, allowing it to continue providing services in the Northwest Corner.
At the same time, Sharon Hospital is establishing a hospital-based paramedic service through Nuvance/Northwell, owner of the hospital. Under the current model, the service consists of a single paramedic, who begins the day at New Milford Hospital before traveling to Sharon, prompting concerns from some volunteer ambulance crews about response times while that paramedic is in transit.
Addressing those concerns, hospital officials said while the new paramedic service covers a wide area, so too does NDP, which is based out of Rhinebeck. Some volunteer ambulance crews also said their concerns relate to the transition to two providers, with Sharon Hospital’s service still being built out and not yet fully stationed in Sharon.
Falls Village First Selectman David Barger asked whether more than one paramedic service could operate in the region.
“There could be more than one,” McCulloch said.
Matt Cassavechia, director of emergency services for Sharon Hospital, said Litchfield County Dispatch, which handles all ambulance and fire dispatching for the region, will call whichever paramedic service is available at the time of an emergency.
He acknowledged that the current arrangement could be improved and said the hospital hopes to expand on-site paramedic coverage in Sharon. Doing so would require state approval through a need-for-service application, which Cassavechia said would benefit from letters of support from the community and area first selectmen.
Several volunteer ambulance representatives expressed concern about how changes could affect basic life support services and volunteer operations. Cassavechia said the hospital does not intend to replace volunteer squads.
“We’re not snapping up patients,” he said. “That’s not what we do. We are deliberate and purposeful. We have zero intent of putting volunteers out of business.”
Questions were also raised about possible delays in transferring patients from Sharon Hospital to other facilities. McCulloch said the hospital has been experiencing high emergency room and inpatient volumes but has not seen unusual wait times.
Michelle Hansen of the Falls Village ambulance squad cited a recent case involving a cancer patient who needed to be transported to Yale New Haven Hospital and was reportedly told by Nuvance that there would be an upfront cost of $2,000. NDP ultimately completed the transport.
“That is certainly not our practice,” said Thomas Horkan, Sharon Hospital’s EMS coordinator. “As soon as we were made aware, we took corrective action. It was human error. I listened to the tape. It was unfortunate.”
State Rep. Maria Horn, D-64, attended the meeting to assess how the changes might affect patient care and costs. Cassavechia said billing practices vary among ambulance providers and that clearer rules of engagement would need to be established with local squads.
After the discussion, Sharon First Selectman Casey Flanagan said the outcome appeared reassuring.
“It seems we’re going to have bonus coverage,” he said. “So, I’m OK with this.”
Nuvance/Northwell employees host a Jan. 5 meeting on emergency service providers. From left: Matt Cassavechia, Sharon Hospital director of emergency services; Christina McCulloch, Sharon Hospital president and CEO; Thomas Horkan, Sharon Hospital EMS coordinator; and Dr. Ron Santos, Sharon Hospital emergency room director.By Ruth Epstein
