Last updated 03/30/08

THE ADVOCATE'S GROUP (TAG)

WHO WE ARE…

The Mission of The Advocates Group (TAG) is to increase and enhance all efforts to end homelessness. Our strategy is to rally the public and private sectors in conjunction with the non-profit community to cooperate and coordinate in a unified effort to end homelessness now and to prevent its reoccurrence in the future.

-  Over 40 public and private agencies and individuals comprise The Advocates Group.
-  The group has three subcommittees, including Public Awareness, Funding and Services Coordination.
-  The Public Awareness Committee held an educational forum on homeless issues for the community . They will continue to advocate on behalf of the homeless.
-  The Services Coordination Committee recently held a training session on Shelter Plus Care. This committee provides direct services to the homeless and formerly homeless persons.
-  The funding committee completed the annual HUD SuperNOFA grant and continually searches for sources of funding to fill gaps in homeless services.

The Advocate's Group - TAG (formerly, Advocates To End Homelessness - ATEH) is a consortium of local not for profit, city, town and state agencies dedicated to strengthening the continuum of services available for homeless persons and those at risk of homelessness. Members of TAG include all agencies in the area serving the homeless and interested individuals. TAG is open to anyone who desires to work on issues of homelessness.

HOW WE BEGAN…

TAG was formed several years ago when several homeless service providers asked the Human Services Council to convene the community to develop a system of respite care for homeless individuals who had been hospitalized, were well enough to be released from the hospital, but were too ill to go back to the shelter. Once the plan was developed, several participants realized that there were other issues of homelessness that were an issue for the entire community and not only homeless service providers. TAG was the result of this realization and has continued to be convened by the Human Services Council of Mid-Fairfield.

MISSION…

To strengthen the continuum of services available for the Greater Norwalk Area’s homeless population and those at risk of homelessness, including but not limited to persons with AIDS, alcohol and substance abuse problems and mental health problems.

ACTIVITIES…

	Collects and disseminates data
	Sponsors community training sessions
	Leads efforts to attract public and private funds for services and housing for homeless individuals and families and those at risk of homelessness
	Encourages collaboration and communication among service providers and engages in additional advocacy efforts
	Convenes the community to respond to HUD’s SuperNOFA for the Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Programs as the Greater Norwalk Area Continuum of Care (GNACOC).
	Provides training and technical assistance in conducting an unduplicated point in time homeless count

CURRENT PUBLICATIONS… many are available online; see chart below

	Strategies for Conducting a Point in Time Homeless and Demographic Service Needs Survey (prepared for the Corporation For Supportive Housing under a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development)
	Data Collection Guide for a Point in Time Survey of the Homeless (prepared for the Corporation For Supportive Housing under a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development)

Guidebook for Evaluating Data for a Point in Time Survey of the Homeless (prepared for the Corporation For Supportive Housing under a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development)

	A Snapshot of Homelessness: Results of the 1999 Survey of the Homeless, Greater Norwalk, CT, March 15-22, 1999
	A Snapshot of Homelessness: Results of the 2001 Survey of the Homeless, Greater Norwalk, CT, March 15 - 18, 2001
	Instruction Template
	Template for Data Entry

Reports in MS Word (*.doc) / Acrobat Reader (*.pdf)	Templates in MS Excel (*.xls) / Acrobat Reader (*.pdf)
A Snapshot of Homelessness, Results of the 2001 Survey of the Homeless, Greater Norwalk, CT, March 15-18, 2001 DOC
A Snapshot of Homelessness, Results of the 1999 Survey of the Homeless, Greater Norwalk, CT, March 15 - 22, 1999 DOC / PDF	Instruction Template XLS / PDF
STRATEGIES FOR CONDUCTING A POINT IN TIME HOMELESS AND DEMOGRAPHIC SERVICE NEEDS SURVEY DOC / PDF	Template for Data Entry XLS / PDF
GUIDEBOOK FOR EVALUATING DATA FOR A POINT-IN-TIME SURVEY OF THE HOMELESS DOC / PDF
DATA COLLECTION GUIDE FOR THE 2001 POINT-IN-TIME SURVEY OF THE HOMELESS DOC / PDF

Do you want additional information or want to join TAG?  Contact:

Human Services Council
One Park Street  -  Norwalk, CT 06851
Phone:  (203) 849-1111  -  Fax: (203) 849-1151
hsc@snet.net