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Housing issues affect everyone in Connecticut, from those who are searching for a safe place to live, to those who may find it increasingly difficult to afford a place they already call home.WNPR is covering Connecticut's housing and homelessness issues in a series that examines how residents are handling the challenges they face. We look at the trends that matter most right now, and tell stories that help bring the issues to light.

Advocates Say Homeless Kids in Connecticut Need Access to Child Care, Too

Chion Wolf
/
WNPR
Lisa Tepper Bates of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness.
There are more than 1,000 homeless families living in Connecticut.

Residents who need help paying for child care can apply for state assistance but homeless families often don't meet the guidelines to be eligible for the program.

Right now, low-income families can get assistance to pay for day care through the Care4kids program. But they need to have a job or show they're receiving job training. This can be a barrier for families who are homeless.

Lisa Tepper Bates, the executive director of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, said it's a "chicken and egg issue."

"They need to first have child care in order to go out and find a new job or sign up for job training they need," Tepper Bates said.

Tepper Bates said that on average, there are more than 1,000 homeless families in Connecticut each year. There are about 2,000 children in those families. Ninety percent of them are under the age of 12, and nearly half are five years old or younger.

The governor, after discussions with the Office of Early Childhood, has proposed a bill that would allow homeless families to receive the child care subsidy regardless of work status.

The bill would also give them a 90-day grace period to submit required health and immunization records to daycare providers.

Tepper Bates said that families who are homeless need the extra time. "They don’t have with them a comprehensive set of records that parents who are housed have ready access to," she said.

The bill will be discussed at 10:00 Tuesday morning at a public hearing before the legislature's Committee on Children.

Lucy leads Connecticut Public's strategies to deeply connect and build collaborations with community-focused organizations across the state.

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