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NEWS
Point in Time Count and Survey -- On Tuesday January
24, volunteers from different groups in Danbury conduced the annual Point In
Time Count and Survey at all Danbury shelters. People found outside
or in their cars were also counted and interviewed. Information
collected at these surveys is used to get funding for services in the Danbury
area and to link individual people to services. This year we had 15
guests at Dorothy Day and 18 at overflow.
Overflow Shelter Open -- The overflow shelter
at the First Congregational Church opened on Monday November 14. The shelter will remain open through March 31.
Capacity is 20 beds. The have been running almost at
capacity.
Evening Program Open -- The Shelter from the
Cold program opened Tuesday November 1. This provides guests at all
Danbury shelters a place to keep warm in the evening after the Dorothy Day
kitchen closes until the shelters open in the evening. Once again,
the program will be run out of St James AME Church at 45 William Street. Some Facts Regarding Dorothy Day Hospitality House
The Dorothy Day Hospitality House is a private, non-profit
organization that provides essential community services that would otherwise
need to be funded by the City of Danbury. The majority of the homeless people
sheltered here are natives of Danbury and its environs.
Our shelter averages 13 people per day compared
to approximately 75 per day for the afternoon meal at the kitchen. the shelter is empty from 6:30am when guests
leave to shortly before 9pm when they congregate for the evening -- and now we
have a security guard in the evening.
Our shelter is designed to be a temporary base that both provides guests with critical daily
resources (bed, shower, and laundry service) and incents them to take the
necessary steps to get back on their feet and secure permanent housing and
employment.
Guests are required to register with the Coordinated
Access Network and Connecticut’s Homeless Management Information System
(HMIS), and referred to agencies with resources that address individual
needs, such as mental health and substance abuse issues.
Dorothy Day House also partners with Off The Streets,
a 501c3 organization which provides security deposits, furniture and household
goods to homeless people with a source of income. Since its inception in 2009, Off
The Streets has successfully placed more than 500 individuals (100 in 2016
alone) – many of them previously guests in our shelter - in permanent housing
in Danbury.
Description of the Facility
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Operating since 1982
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Free-standing, off-street building located
behind 11 Spring Street, Danbury
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Beds for 16 guests (male and female) and I
volunteer
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2 shower stalls
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Commercial clothes washer and dryer for guest
clothing and bed linens
Shelter Operations
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Open 11 months per year
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Open at 9:00 PM, closed at 6:30 AM – not open
during the day
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Doors locked at 10:00pm – no one enters or
leaves until morning
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Security guard from 6pm to 10pm daily to ensure
people do not congregate on Spring Street and facilitate orderly opening
process
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16 bed shelter represents a relatively small
percentage of people served at Dorothy Day vs. 70/day at the soup kitchen
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Managed by seven experienced weekly coordinators
(average 20 years experience) and nightly volunteers (40)
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Training required for all new volunteers
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Volunteer manual and written procedures for
volunteers to follow
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Professional cleaning service twice weekly and
monthly bedbug exterminator service
Guest admission policies
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All guests must sign written pledge cards to
comply with all shelter regulations before first being admitted
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Shelter open to adults, both men and women
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Guest stay limited to 30 nights during warmer
months – even if empty beds are available – to incent people to find housing
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No admission to anyone under the influence of
alcohol or drugs
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No admission to anyone on suspension for
breaking shelter rules
Shelter rules
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No loitering on or near the premises before 8:45
PM
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Sobriety: no use of alcohol or drugs on the
premises
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Safety: no weapons allowed
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No one leaves or enters after door closes at
10:00 PM without special permission
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Guests awakened 5:30 AM, and must leave before
6:30 AM
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Do not
disturb the peace
Violation of these rules results in
suspension, often for weeks or months at a time
Community Interaction
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Coordinating with the Danbury City Shelter
administration on homeless community matters, including annual planning
meetings
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Cooperating with Danbury City Shelter nightly in
securing guest beds for all in need
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Directing guests to 211 service when shelters
are full, and often driving guests to motels as directed here
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Employing security guard service to reinforce
our no-loitering rule before the shelter opens, and act as a deterrent against
any behavior that would disturb the peace
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Proposing cooperation with neighbors and Danbury
Police through a Neighborhood Watch
program to strengthen neighborhood security
Misconceptions about the Dorothy Day shelter:
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Misconception 1 -- There are no rules at Dorothy
Day House and no consequences for bad behavior.
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The Facts --
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Bad behavior is not tolerated and will result in
guests being banned from Dorothy Day
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All kitchen and shelter guests are required to
sign a pledge indicating their willingness to follow Dorothy Day’s rules (ex no
one admitted under the influence of alcohol or drugs) and not to congregate on
Spring Street. Pledge cards include photos of guests for
identification. If guests do not live up to the pledge, they are
not provided services at the kitchen or shelter.
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Misconception 2 --Dorothy Day Hospitality House
enables people to remain homeless rather than requiring them to take actions to
address their needs and get them into housing
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The Facts --
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The number of days people may stay at Dorothy
Day House is limited to 30 days during the non-winter months to incent people
to seek permanent housing.
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Shelter guests at Dorothy Day House are
required to get connected to services through the Coordinated Access Network,
which registers people in Connecticut's HMIS (Homeless Management Information
System) and directs people to agencies that have the resources to address their
individual needs (such as mental health, substance abuse) .
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Dorothy Day House volunteers have taken an
active role in getting people into housing by forming Off The Streets, a
related 501c3 organization which provides security deposits, furniture and
household goods to homeless people with a source of income.
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As a result of the efforts of many people in
Danbury, the number of homeless people in Danbury has started to come
down. The population at Dorothy Day shelter and the overflow
shelter was 20% lower in 1Q2016 vs. 2015.
Changes at Dorothy Day House
As a result of neighborhood, business and government input,
the following changes have been made:
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Security guard hired from 6pm to 10pm daily to
prevent people congregating on Spring Street
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Removed wording from website that "all are
welcome with no questions asked"
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Pledge cards instituted (see above)
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Reinforced with our guests the importance of
being good neighbors
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Shelter from the Cold Program (6pm through 8pm
-- November through March) moved from Spring Street to William Street (St James
AME Church)
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