Hartford Foundation Awards Grant to Support Greater Hartford Students Experiencing Homelessness

Partnership with Nonprofit RE!NSTITUTE and State Department of Education will develop plan for Greater Hartford’s education and homeless response system

During the 2023-24 school year, more than 5,600 Connecticut public school students experienced homelessness, representing an increase of 63 percent since 2021. Among these students, 85 percent were people of color, 26 percent had disabilities, and 29 percent were English language learners. This sharp increase in homelessness and housing instability poses significant educational challenges for both students and educators. Addressing housing instability can have a significant impact on improving educational outcomes for these students.

In collaboration with the Connecticut Department of Education on behalf of the Governor’s Kids Cabinet, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving has awarded a one-year, $142,725 grant to the nonprofit RE!NSTITUTE to lead a planning effort designed to support the Greater Hartford region’s education and homeless response system.

This project is in alignment with the Hartford Foundation's strategic priority of increasing stable education and employment opportunities for Black and Latine adults and youth in our region who face barriers to employment. This project will work to ensure that students experiencing homelessness can remain present and engaged in school, improve educational outcomes by addressing the overrepresentation of marginalized students in housing instability, and strengthening cross-sector collaboration to enhance support systems and public awareness of available programming.

This grant will allow RE!NSTITUTE to leverage McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act resources along with services and expertise of Greater Hartford Coordinated Access Network (CAN) to connect more students and families to housing and resources in school districts and communities. The Greater Hartford CAN geographic coverage area includes 17 school districts, representing ten percent of the state’s public-school districts overall. The Greater Hartford CAN has reported nearly 900 students experiencing homelessness, which represents approximately 16 percent of all students experiencing homelessness in Connecticut.

Known as the 100-Day Challenge, this effort is intended to support the education, homeless response, and employment support systems in the Greater Hartford CAN geographic area to leverage local resources and connect more students and families to housing and employment services. This work will include supporting closer collaboration between service providers, resulting in housing families sooner and more efficiently. RE!NSTITUTE has supported communities throughout the country to connect 38,789 people to safe and stable housing, including previous work in several areas in Connecticut. 

“The team at RE!NSTITUTE are excited to be working once again in Connecticut, where we have previously facilitated youth-focused 100-Day Challenges which have housed 395 people,” said RE!NSTITUTE’s CEO, Sarah Robens. “Our focus on enabling cross-system collaboration will be at the fore of this Challenge, as we bring together a team of people from relevant sectors, including education, housing, and employment, to make significant change to young people within a 100-Days, through the creation and testing of innovations that will change how the system works. We are looking forward to getting going and appreciate the interest and support of this work from Governor Ned Lamont, and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.” 

The State Department of Education will lead the effort to operationalize this project, building on the department’s No Matter What campaign, which seeks to amplify communication and outreach about resources available to students and families through the McKinney-Vento Act. 

“Our administration’s Kids Cabinet has made responding to youth homelessness a top priority because students facing homelessness deserve our support to get a good education,” said Governor Ned Lamont. “Our state already makes significant investments in homeless prevention and intervention, and there is good work being done at the local and state levels, including the Head Start on Housing program that is led by the Connecticut Department of Housing and the Office of Early Childhood. This new partnership will improve our coordination and response system in central Connecticut, so we can maximize the impact of our current funding — all to deliver better outcomes for students experiencing homelessness. I want to thank the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving for their generous support, and for recognizing how government and philanthropy can work together in smart ways to improve lives.”

Recent data on academic achievement from the National Center for Homeless Education reveals stark disparities between students experiencing homelessness and their peers. Students experiencing homelessness consistently score 10-20 percentage points lower than their housed counterparts in standardized testing, particularly in core subjects like mathematics and reading comprehension. In Connecticut, students experiencing homelessness graduate at rates up to 23 percent lower than their peers. Among those who graduate, their average GPA tends to be significantly lower, affecting their college admission prospects and future career opportunities. 

Chronic absenteeism is also a significant challenge for students experiencing homelessness. They miss an average of 15-20 more school days per year than their housed peers. This excessive absence rate directly correlates with lower test scores and increased dropout rates. Transportation challenges, frequent school changes, and the need to work or care for family members often contribute to attendance issues. On average, each school change faced by a student experiencing homelessness can result in a loss of three to six months of academic progress. 

“The Hartford Foundation remains committed to ensuring that all students can reach their full potential by eliminating barriers to their success,” said Hartford Foundation President and CEO Jay Williams. “The Foundation is proud to support this effort to foster greater collaboration between educators, homelessness and housing providers, and other stakeholders. By building on the work that local school districts and community providers are already doing, we can ensure that students and their families have access to stable, secure housing and young people can focus on being successful in the classroom.”