Rep. Scott Secures Funding for Two Local Nonprofit Organizations

Hartford, Conn.—State Representative Tony Scott, Ranking Member of the legislature's Housing Committee, advocated for The Center for Family Justice and Off The Streets Bridgeport to receive funding from the Interest on Real Estate Brokers Trust Account (IOREBTA) Program.

Scott serves on the Housing Advisory Panel. The group recently recommended to the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) a list of nonprofit organizations to receive funding from IOREBTA. The Center for Family Justice and Off The Streets Bridgeport will receive $35,000 and $30,000 in funding, respectively.

"These two organizations provide vital services in lower Fairfield County, and I am proud to be able to support their work by bringing awareness to my fellow legislators of the services they provide. This is the second year the panel has recommended funding for The Center for Family Justice and Off The Streets, and I'm pleased that it's more than double the previous allocation. This money will go a long way to help their operations," said Rep. Scott.

The Center for Family Justice provides free and confidential services to residents of six Fairfield County towns including Monroe, Easton, and Trumbull. They coordinate care for all victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, human trafficking, and child abuse.

Rep. Scott was recently presented with the Center's Key to Hope award for his support of the organization with his work on their behalf in Hartford.

"People getting out of domestic situations face a unique challenge in needing a safe place to call home. The Center for Family Justice doesn't turn anyone away, but as pandemic-related federal funding runs out they will have a difficult time filling in that gap," said Rep. Scott.

Off The Streets Bridgeport is based in Trumbull and has a mission to help the homeless Off The Streets, one-person-at-a-time in the Bridgeport– Fairfield County area.

"I am proud to be part of the legislature's End Homelessness Caucus. It's not enough to have just one-time funding for services, we need to have it annually in the budget going forward," said Rep. Scott. "The Housing Committee for the last several years requested $50 million, but the Appropriations Committee hasn't made it a priority. I hope with the news of homelessness being on the rise, this takes on new importance to all legislators."

Nonprofit organizations from across Connecticut submitted applications to the Housing Advisory Panel, which recommends allocations to CHFA for review. CHFA then obtains needed information from the nonprofits to issue the funding. 

The Interest on Real Estate Brokers Trust Account (IOREBTA) Program was created in 1992. The program currently receives income from three sources: interest remitted by banking institutions on behalf of participating realtors/brokers, repayment of a loan made to the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) for the State’s Down payment Assistance Program (DAP), as well as repayments of Habitat for Humanity loans purchased by CHFA on behalf of IOREBTA.

More information about IORBTA can be found online: https://www.chfa.org/about-us/pre-iorebta-reports/