The Housing Collective, a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening Connecticut’s housing systems through regional collaboration, today marked its 20th anniversary with the launch of a campaign focused on building a better housing future for Connecticut’s families and communities.

Since its founding in 2006, the Housing Collective has united over 200 organizations across Connecticut to provide a coordinated response to homelessness and housing affordability. The Housing Collective serves as the backbone for the homeless response system in Western Connecticut and regional housing affordability initiatives in Western and Eastern Connecticut, aligning funding, resources, data, best practices, and lived experience to ensure stable and affordable housing is available to all. The Housing Collective operates through a framework known as collective impact, where many groups work together towards a common goal, delivering solutions that change the underlying systems that make housing inaccessible.

“For 20 years, The Housing Collective has been fueled by one unshakable belief – coordinated action is the key to transforming housing in our communities – and that still rings true today,” said David Rich, President and CEO of the Housing Collective. “Looking ahead, we’re doubling down on the collective power of our communities to create lasting change. The need for safe, affordable homes has never been more urgent throughout Connecticut. With the support of our donors, partners and neighbors, we can reshape the future for thousands of families across our communities.”

Over the last two decades, the organization has:

• Spearheaded efforts in Fairfield County to end chronic veteran homelessness in 2016
• Increased federal funding for homelessness response in Fairfield County by 160%
• Provided backbone support for the two Coordinated Access Networks in western CT
• Ensured no unhoused individuals in western Connecticut passed away due to COVID-19
• Helped increase annual development of affordable homes in Litchfield County by 100%
• Built a network of more than 240 cross-sector partners across Connecticut

“Housing does not just happen. In order for everyone to have a safe, affordable home, hundreds of organizations need to constantly coordinate with one another behind the scenes,” said Jillian Baldwin, Board Co-Chair of The Housing Collective, and CEO of Park City Communities. “My organization, who manages the largest public housing portfolio in Connecticut, is stronger when we collaborate with the Housing Collective and, by extension, the many other related groups in our region, from developers to service providers to resident groups. When you support the Housing Collective, you’re supporting the entire housing system.”

Funds raised by the campaign will be used to support and strengthen the regional systems and partnerships that make the production, preservation and protection of housing possible. Operating largely behind the scenes, these systems play a vital role in preventing homelessness, expanding access to affordable homes, elevating resident voices so solutions are shaped by those most impacted, and providing the data and analysis communities need to make informed, evidence-based decisions.

To learn more about the Housing Collective or to make a contribution to the campaign, visit the website.

About The Housing Collective
The Housing Collective strengthens Connecticut’s housing and homelessness systems by aligning communities, public agencies, and service providers around coordinated, regional solutions. For 20 years, we have served as a backbone organization—helping partners work across boundaries to reduce homelessness, expand access to affordable housing, and build systems that support long-term housing stability.

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