encampment at danbury city hall

7/31/2019 Encampment at Danbury City Hall

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Mayor Mark D. Boughton

City Hall

155 Deer Hill Avenue

Danbury, CT 06810

June 21, 2012

Dear Mayor Boughton:

I am writing to inform you that I and other concerned citizens will be leading a homeless encampment on the

grounds of City Hall from July 1st

through July 15th

to petition our city government to increase the supply of

permanent housing units to meet the needs of homeless individuals in the City of Danbury.

These needs were identified in 2005 by the Mayors Task Force to End Homelessness in Ten Years and approved

and adopted by the City Council on March 7, 2006 with the stated goal of eliminating chronic and long-term

homelessness by the year 2015. We are now in year 7 of the plan and the City has failed to take action in accordance

with the plan to address this crisis.

As an act of peaceable assembly and free speech, five tents will be erected for homeless individuals participating in

the encampment. The encampment will be setup on a portion of the northwest corner of City Hall under the trees

along Deer Hill Avenue in a manner that will not obstruct any sidewalks or entrances to the building. The

approximate number of participants will be fifteen or fewer, including legal observers. Participants may display

banners, flags or signs on their tents and may wear tee shirts that identify them as participants. They may alsodistribute information about homelessness and collect signatures on petitions.

Arrangements will be made for the use of off-site sanitary facilities and trash removal. Participants will follow a

good neighbor code of conduct during the encampment. Since this public assembly does not meet the twenty-five

person threshold and will not impede pedestrian or vehicular traffic, I am not applying for a permit under Chapter

11, Article III of the Code of Ordinances. I will notify Chief Alan Baker of the planned activity by copy of this

letter.

I am requesting a statement from you by 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 28, 2012, that the City will notinterfere with

or prohibit this exercise of our constitutional rights under the First Amendment. Such response may be emailed to

[email protected] delivered to 110 Hayestown Road, Danbury, CT 06811. If the City does not respond, we

will have no choice but to seek an emergency injunction in Federal District Court to allow the encampment to

proceed and to protect our First Amendment Rights.

Of course, you may contact me before that time with your response or with any legitimate questions the City has as

to the conduct of the encampment.

Sincerely,

Lynn Taborsak

110 Hayestown Road

Danbury, CT 06811(203) 748-0822

Cc: Chief Alan Baker

Attorney Peter Goselin
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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The Mayors Task Force to End Homelessness released a plan in December, 2005showing a need for 436 units within the next 10 years to house homeless individualsand families

242 units for long-term homeless individuals 194 units for families

The City Council adopted and approved the plan on March 7, 2006 in order to eliminate

chronic and long-tern homelessness by the year 2015. We are currently in year 7.The Danbury Housing Partnership was given the task of implementing the plan which called for15 units of permanent housing to be developed in year one, 20 in year 2, and 30 each year inyears 3-10. These are units of permanent housing, not VOUCHERS.

Sources of Funding for Supportive Housing in Danbury

CT Partnership for Strong Communities

Federal Opening Doors Program

CT Corporation for Supportive HousingCT Housing Finance AuthorityCT Dept. of Economic and Community DevelopmentCT Dept. of Mental Health and Addiction Services

Connecticut has a goal of creating 10,000 units of supportive housing by 2016.Shouldnt some of it be right here in Danbury?Is supportive housing cost effective? Homelessness results in increased use of emergency

rooms, hospitals, police and jails. Health care is the largest component of these costs fromfrequent emergency room visits, inpatient hospitalization for medical or psychiatric care,sobering centers and nursing homes.


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Supportive Housing Costs versus Alternatives

Emergency Shelter = $28 daySupportive Housing = $33 dayJail = $87 dayDetox = $256 day

Ambulance = $527Psychiatric Hospital = $604 dayEmergency Room = $905Hospital Inpatient = $1940

Who was housed in emergency shelters this winter?Jericho House Overflow [Nov. 15 to April 15] 1512 bed nights22 guests at 30+ nightsFirst Congregational Church [Nov. 15 to Apr. 15] 3813 bed nights2939 men874 women104 individual guests, 27 guests at 30+City Shelter [Nov. 15 to Apr. 15] 2408 bed nights48 individual guests, 38 men and 10 women

27 guests at 30+Dorothy Day [Nov. 15 to Apr. 15] 900 guests

Thats 8633 bed nights for the six coldest months of the year or more than 1400 bed nights per

month.No one should experience homelessness.

No one should be without a safe, stable place to call home.

The city needs to fulfill its 10 year plan to end homelessnessand build permanent supportive housing.

encampment at danbury city hall

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