Connecticut has housed every veteran known to be chronically homeless

On Thursday, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced that Connecticut is the first state in the country to house every known veteran who is chronically homeless. That’s every last one of them, and Connecticut is the first in the nation to accomplish this goal, and here’s Stars & Stripes’ take on it.

Of course there’s more work to be done, but reaching this goal is pretty incredible. Here are some of the organizations whose members did the heavy lifting:

• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
• Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH) (an unfortunate acronym, I know)
• Connecticut Heroes Project (CTHP)
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
• Connecticut’s Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) grantees
• Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness (CCEH)
• Connecticut Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA)
• Partnership for Strong Communities
• A host of community-based providers
• The governor and our lieutenant governor

The amazing thing, too, is that if Connecticut can do this, other states can do. And this means that Connecticut is on target to, as put forward in something called Zero 2016:

end chronic and veteran homelessness outright by December 2016.

Imagine that. Reaching that goal means ending all homelessness among veterans — which, more precisely, means we set up a system whereby when veterans fall into homelessness, they get permanently and effectively housed. That’s more humane. It’s more dignified. And it’s certainly less expensive — significantly so — than leaving people to languish.

And if we can do this, we can house everyone. And that is an awesome thing.