Month: October 2022

Connecticut has been allocated an additional $11 million from the U.S. Department of the Treasury to support UniteCT, the state’s premier program providing rent and utility assistance for households financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds supplement more than $400 million previously allocated for the program, primarily from the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 and American Rescue Plan Act.

“Thanks to UniteCT and the emergency funding we received from the federal government, thousands of renters financially impacted by the pandemic have been able to remain in their homes and landlords have continued receiving payments on their behalf,” Governor Lamont said. “I applaud Connecticut’s Congressional delegation and the Biden-Harris administration for their ongoing commitment to provide the resources required to keep our families safely housed.”

UniteCT was created in early 2021 in response to the initial outbreak of the pandemic and is administered by the Connecticut Department of Housing. It provides qualified households with payments for up to 12 months of rental and electric arrearage assistance. Payments are typically made by the state directly to landlords and utility companies on behalf of tenants.

To date, the program has distributed $322 million to more than 11,000 landlords on behalf of 50,000 households. The average rent and utility assistance per household so far is $8,366 and $1,484, respectively.

This additional $11 million for Connecticut is the result of a federal process to reallocate funding from states and cities that have not obligated their initial grants to states and towns that got money out the door more quickly. The Connecticut Department of Housing will use this additional $11 million to assist those currently in eviction and to prevent households from going into eviction. The department intends to leverage these funds with the $1.5 million that it received in the recently adopted state budget for its new Rent Bank program.

“As we all know, the pandemic was tough on everyone, but especially tough for our renters and homeowners,” Connecticut Department of Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno said. “Since March of 2021, through UniteCT, Connecticut has distributed over nearly 80% of its original tranches of money from the federal government. With this additional funding, we will able to place an even greater emphasis on assisting those households that are either currently going through an eviction or facing an eviction. Thank you to Governor Lamont and our Congressional delegation for not only securing these resources, but also for their continued advocacy to ensure that the people of Connecticut have stable housing.”

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Full-Time Workers Will Receive $1,000 and Part-Time Workers Will Receive $400 in One-Time Payments

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that his administration is releasing $70 million in state funding that will be used to provide bonus payments to the staff of child care providers in Connecticut who provide safe and nurturing care to the state’s youngest infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Individual bonuses will amount to $1,000 for full-time workers and $400 for part-time workers.

The governor explained that this initiative, known as Wage Supports for Early Childhood Educators, was created to show gratitude for the service of child care workers, particularly during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was included as part of the state budget bill that he signed into law earlier this year.

“Child care staff work consistently to provide critically needed care to ensure that children are safe and their parents and guardians have the support necessary to go to work,” Governor Lamont said. “They are an essential part of our economy and help make Connecticut the most family-friendly state in the country. We need to support this important industry that is vital to families, the workplace, and society.”

The initiative is being administered by the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood with technical support from the United Way of Connecticut. Child care program operators will be required to apply for the funds and then disburse the payments to their child care staff. These operators will also receive funding of 10% on top of their staff payments to support supplemental staff benefits and administrative processing costs. Eligible child care staff include those who work in licensed centers, group child care homes, and family child care homes, as well as license-exempt programs that receive school readiness or child day care contract funds.

The Connecticut Office of Early Childhood today is contacting eligible child care program operators and providing them with information that contains instructions on how they can apply for the funds.

“We understand and appreciate how hard early childhood educators are working for our children and deserve to be applauded and rewarded for their dedication,” Connecticut Office of Early Childhood Commissioner Beth Bye said. “Their work is both critical in nature and highly valued by families in Connecticut, and these wage supports will help child care program directors recruit and retain staff.”

The state budget that Governor Lamont signed into law for the 2023 fiscal year contains an historic level of funding in child care and early childhood education, including $180 million in investments to ensure families have access to safe and reliable child care.

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