Initiatives

Opening Doors Initiative

The Housing Collective’s Opening Doors Initiative manages the homelessness emergency response system throughout western Connecticut.

Our Regions

The Opening Doors Initiative is made up of Opening Doors Fairfield County (ODFC) and the Northwest Connecticut Coordinated Access Network. We provide dedicated staff and administrative support to align, coordinate, and measure the impact of individual partners like shelters, landlords, and social service providers.

In partnership with:

112
partners in our collective
impact network

In partnership with:

53
partners in our collective
impact network

Report

Opening Doors Initiative 2025 Impact Report

Initiative Opening Doors
Topic Collective Impact; Homelessness
Region Northwest CT; Fairfield County, CT

Case Study

Making Space for Family Triage in Fairfield County

Initiative Opening Doors Fairfield County
Topic Shelter; Crisis Intervention; Homelessness
Region Fairfield County, CT

Case Study

Securing Cold Weather Funding for the Homeless Response System

Initiative Opening Doors Fairfield County
Topic Shelter; Collective Impact; Homelessness
Region Fairfield County, CT; CT

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Testimony in Support of SB 364 An Act Concerning Extreme Weather Protocols

News

03.04.26

Testimony to CT Appropriations Committee on Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services Budget

News

02.24.26

How CT's Housing Landscape Changed Over 20 Years

In the Media

02.20.26

Testimony to CT Housing Committee on Act Appropriating Funds to Assist Homeless Persons

News

02.17.26

Training

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This session – held in collaboration with the United Way of Greater Waterbury—focused on how rental subsidies work and how landlords can use them to support stable, long-term tenant relationships.

Initiative Opening Doors
Topic Homelessness; Landlords
Audience Residents
Region CT

Training

View

Landlords and property owners play a vital role in supporting tenant stability. For those renting to individuals with lived experience of homelessness, understanding potential challenges is essential to building strong, mutually beneficial relationships.

Initiative Opening Doors
Topic Homelessness; Landlords
Audience Residents
Region CT

Training

View

Several landlords in western Connecticut share their experiences renting to at-risk populations and working with public and private programs that support housing stability.

Initiative Opening Doors
Topic Landlords
Audience Community Organizations; Residents
Region Fairfield County, CT

Advocacy

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The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development is is proposing a drastic and immediate change to the Continuum of Care (CoC) program, the main source of federal funding to help end homelessness in Connecticut. This fact sheet outlines the statewide impact of these changes.

Initiative The Housing Collective; Opening Doors
Topic Homelessness; Supportive Housing
Audience Community Organizations; Officials; Residents
Region CT

Training

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This resource from the National Alliance to End Homelessness outlines a Housing-Focused Street Outreach Framework designed to help communities engage people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. It provides strategies for connecting individuals to permanent housing quickly and effectively through person-centered outreach, case management, and system coordination.

Initiative Opening Doors
Topic Homelessness; Outreach
Audience Community Organizations
Region USA

Training

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The National Alliance to End Homelessness provides toolkits and training materials on Permanent Supportive Housing, a proven solution that combines affordable housing with voluntary support services to help people with chronic homelessness achieve stability and independence. It offers guidance on best practices, implementation, and service coordination.

Initiative Opening Doors
Topic Supportive Housing
Audience Community Organizations; Residents
Region USA

Training

View

SOAR (SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access, and Recovery) is a program through SAMHSA designed to help individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness—and who also have serious mental illness, medical impairments, or co-occurring substance use disorders—gain access to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). It accomplishes this by training case managers, offering technical assistance, and facilitating inter-agency coordination to improve application approval rates and speed.

Initiative Opening Doors
Topic Case Management; Capacity Building; Housing Affordability
Audience Community Organizations
Region USA

Training

View

Initiative Opening Doors
Topic Case Management; Capacity Building
Audience Community Organizations; Residents
Region CT

Training

View

The Conflict Resolution Network (CRN) website is dedicated to teaching practical, easy-to-understand skills for resolving conflicts in everyday life. These skills apply across a range of settings, including families, workplaces, communities, and even international contexts. CRN promotes a collaborative, win/win approach and provides tools like empathy, assertiveness, and conflict mapping to help people manage and resolve disputes effectively.

Initiative Opening Doors
Topic Crisis Intervention
Audience Community Organizations
Region USA

Training

View

This resource introduces Motivational Interviewing as a practical, client-centered approach to helping people experiencing homelessness make positive changes in their lives. It provides training tools and techniques for service providers to engage clients through empathy, active listening, and goal-focused conversations.

Initiative Opening Doors
Topic Case Management; Crisis Intervention
Audience Community Organizations
Region CT

Mar 18, 2026

10AM-1PM

This workshop is designed for supervisors to explore the basic cultural changes that occur when viewing your environment through a trauma lens.

Hosted By Opening Doors Northwest Connecticut
with The Women's Consortium
Region Northwest CT

Apr 1, 2026

10AM-1PM

This workshop is designed for supervisors to explore the basic cultural changes that occur when viewing your environment through a trauma lens.

Hosted By Opening Doors Northwest Connecticut
with The Women's Consortium
Region Northwest CT

You know what needs to change. We can help you make it happen.

The Housing Collective supports an extensive network of committed housing and homelessness partners.

Join us

Opening Doors Initiative

Our Regions

In partnership with:

In partnership with:

Opening Doors Initiative 2025 Impact Report

Making Space for Family Triage in Fairfield County

Securing Cold Weather Funding for the Homeless Response System

Testimony in Support of SB 364 An Act Concerning Extreme Weather Protocols

Testimony to CT Appropriations Committee on Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services Budget

How CT's Housing Landscape Changed Over 20 Years

Testimony to CT Housing Committee on Act Appropriating Funds to Assist Homeless Persons

Trauma-Informed Practices & Supervision

Trauma-Informed Practices & Supervision

Trauma-Informed Practices 101

Trauma-Informed Practices 101

Learn more about the Opening Doors Initiative

You know what needs to change. We can help you make it happen.