Homelessness isn’t just a problem in big cities: it’s an issue right here in Milford.
“We have seen a really large increase with people who are experiencing homelessness within the shelter,” said Jennifer Paradis, the executive director of the Beth-El Center. The center has a community kitchen that serves lunch and dinner, as well as a winter shelter night program.
The center used to serve 65 meals, but now it serves around 100 per service, indicating that more homeless people are coming in.
Every day’s standardized resources include food, showers, mail, and medical services within the Beth-El Center, which a lot of people are accessing each day. There were some changes to SNAP benefits, like food stamps being removed, so people who no longer have them are struggling to get food. Some people from other places are coming around. “More people need food, so more people should get food,” states Paradis. She notes that more elderly people and people with disabilities have been going to the shelter to eat.
“I think it’s the access to housing people can afford that’s causing a rise in homelessness,” says Paradis. She was homeless as a high school student. Paradis believes that homelessness is caused by the events that are taking place in one’s life. People who remain housed with low income and people who don’t have a house are the main people at risk of becoming homeless.
“A lot of people think it’s a scary thing, but you can still come back up even after being homeless for a period of time,” Paradis states.
In addition to the presence of people holding “homeless” signs and asking for help at various spots in Milford, there are homeless encampments that many residents are aware of.
“I live in the neighborhood that’s right near one of the encampments,” said Foran High School senior Jack Parise. He said he came across the encampment a couple of years ago and discovered tents, trailers, and even a generator. “Some big guy chased us out with a giant stick,” Parise said.
Parise states how many people he speculates were living there at the time, he said, “A lot.”
Julianna Johnson, another senior, has images on her cell phone from several years ago of a homeless encampment behind Lowe’s on Old Gate Lane, which show shacks and clothes hanging on a line. She also has pictures of a nearby abandoned building, where she said there was bedding scattered around.
Paradis commented on the increase in homelessness in a recent newsletter. “Recent reports show that from 2023 to 2024, the number of people experiencing homelessness in Connecticut increased 13%, and 44% were children and adults over 55,” she states in the newsletter. “Over 5,000 people are currently experiencing homelessness in the State of Connecticut, and Beth-El Center served nearly 1000 of those individuals in our emergency shelter and food programs throughout 2024.”
She ends the newsletter by stating that the homeless response system’s ability to continue providing life-saving services is at risk due to critical funding gaps and a lack of funding that has kept pace with inflation.
