Posted on June 13, 2024
Hartford, Conn. – State Representative Tony Scott (R-Monroe) was among the panelists during the 21st Annual Training Institute (ATI), a conference hosted by the Connecticut Coalition Against Homelessness on Wednesday, June 12, 2024.
Scott, ranking member of the General Assembly’s Housing Committee, was one of four legislators invited to be part of the Shaping the Agenda: Elevating Homelessness as a Legislative Priority panel. Scott and his colleagues spoke with advocates and nonprofit workers about how they can help advance the cause. The panelists shared their perspectives on the recent 2024 legislative session, and on the outlook for future sessions. They offered insight into how to build political will, what makes an effective outreach strategy, and how to bring stakeholders with diverse viewpoints together.
“Invite us to see your work and make the issue real for us. Even if it’s outside our district. For many legislators, data will only go so far. We need to hear the stories of what’s happening on the ground and see where there are shortfalls in the system,” said Scott.
Scott told the attendees that next year is a budget writing year and there will be limited time to convince others in the General Assembly to make ending homelessness a priority.
“Reach out, ask them the questions, and invite us out. By talking with lawmakers who are the budgeting and finance committees, they’ll better understand and that will make our sell easier. The Housing Committee unanimously passed a bill for $50 million to tackle homelessness, and it still didn’t get through. This isn’t a partisan issue, but it should be a priority issue for everyone,” said Scott.
Others on the panel talked about changing or getting rid of fiscal guardrails, which have put the state on the path toward fiscal stability, in order to pay for more services. Scott cautioned that it’s not a matter of coming up with more money.
“We had hundreds of millions of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars and only a small fraction was designated this year for homeless services, while $180 million went to higher education institutions. The ARPA allocation was not done within the constraints of existing budgetary fiscal guardrails. If taking on homelessness wasn’t a priority this year without the guardrails, then your voices on this issue must be loud and clear when the budget is written next year. We need to reprioritize,” said Scott.
He urged the audience to keep trying to get to the legislators who haven’t made it a priority, adding that by coming out in a large group, the visibility on the issue will help.
Scott also noted that as a part-time legislature, there are many topics where they rely on experts familiar with a topic for guidance.
“Speak out and keep advocating to help us make the best case for action,” concluded Scott.
The Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, in partnership with members and communities throughout the state, has a collective mission of preventing and ending homelessness in Connecticut.