How Wings of Hope Recovery Is Preventing Winter Homelessness in Connecticut!

For people living with substance use disorder, the risk is even higher. Without stable housing, recovery becomes harder to sustain, relapse risk increases, and the path to homelessness shortens dramatically.

This is where recovery housing plays a critical role and why Wings of Hope Recovery Housing matters more than ever during the winter months.

The Connecticut reality: housing instability peaks in winter

Each January, Connecticut conducts its annual Point-in-Time Count on one of the coldest nights of the year. The reason is simple: winter exposes the true severity of homelessness.

• In 2024, 3,410 people were counted experiencing homelessness statewide, including 574 people living unsheltered.
• By January 2025, reports indicated more than 3,500 people experiencing homelessness in Connecticut, with unsheltered homelessness rising sharply.

Unsheltered homelessness in winter is not just about discomfort. It means exposure to hypothermia, frostbite, untreated medical conditions, and avoidable deaths. Emergency shelters and cold weather protocols save lives, but they are designed to respond to crisis, not prevent it.

Addiction and housing are inseparable issues

Connecticut continues to face a serious substance use crisis. The state’s overdose death rate remains higher than the national average, and people without stable housing are among the most vulnerable.

Housing instability and addiction reinforce one another:

• People in early recovery often lose housing due to gaps in income, strained family relationships, or unsafe living environments.
• People without housing face higher relapse and overdose risk due to stress, isolation, and lack of consistent care.
• Winter intensifies both risks.

Stable housing is one of the strongest protective factors for sustained recovery. Without it, treatment gains are fragile and often temporary.

Why recovery housing prevents homelessness before it starts

Recovery housing fills the critical gap between emergency shelter and permanent housing. It is not a temporary bed for the night. It is a structured, substance-free home that supports long-term stability.

Recovery housing works because it provides:

• A safe, alcohol- and drug-free environment
• Daily structure and accountability
• Peer support and community connection
• A stable base for employment, treatment, and reunification

In winter, these factors are not optional. They are lifesaving.

How Wings of Hope Recovery Housing makes a difference in winter:

Wings of Hope Recovery Housing helps prevent winter homelessness by intervening earlier and more effectively than emergency systems alone.

• Stable housing through the coldest months! Residents have a consistent place to live throughout winter, reducing the risk of falling into unsheltered homelessness during cold snaps and storms.
• Support that protects recovery! Structure, peer accountability, and a recovery-centered environment reduce relapse risk, which is one of the leading causes of housing loss for people in recovery.

• A bridge to long-term housing! Residents build income, budgeting skills, documentation, and treatment consistency, all of which are essential for qualifying for and sustaining permanent housing.
• Safe options for men and women! By serving both men and women, Wings of Hope expands safe housing capacity during a season when shelter options are limited and often over capacity.

Why this matters now

Connecticut’s winter homelessness numbers are not abstract statistics. They represent people who are one crisis away from sleeping in cars, cycling through emergency rooms, or returning to unsafe environments.

Recovery housing is prevention. It reduces pressure on shelters, lowers overdose risk, and helps people remain housed not just during winter, but long after it ends.

When we invest in recovery housing, we are not reacting to homelessness. We are stopping it before it happens.

How you can help this winter

Wings of Hope Recovery Housing is actively preventing winter homelessness in Connecticut, but we cannot do it alone.

You can take action today:

• Donate to support safe, stable recovery housing during the winter months
• Partner with us as a funder, employer, or referral source
• Volunteer your skills or time to support residents on their path to stability
• Share this story to help others understand why recovery housing saves lives

Every bed kept open is a life kept indoors. Every stable home is a step away from homelessness.

👉 Support Wings of Hope Recovery Housing today: www.wingsofhoperecovery.com

Works Cited

• Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH).2024 Connecticut Point-in-Time Count Report.State of Connecticut, Department of Housing. https://portal.ct.gov/DOH/DOH/Programs/Point-in-Time-Count
• Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH).Severe Cold Weather Protocol.State of Connecticut, Department of Housing. https://portal.ct.gov/DOH/DOH/...
• Connecticut Public Radio (WNPR).“More Than 3,500 People Experienced Homelessness in Connecticut, New Data Shows.”January 2025.https://www.ctpublic.org
• Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH).Unintentional Drug Overdose Deaths in Connecticut.Office of Injury Prevention. https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Injury-Prevention/Overdose-Data
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).Recovery Housing: Best Practices and Guidelines.U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.samhsa.gov/homelessness-programs-resources/grant-programs/recovery-housing
• National Alliance for Recovery Residences (NARR).Standards for Recovery Housing.https://narronline.org
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).The 2024 Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress.https://www.hudexchange.info/resource/3031/pit-and-hic-data-since-2007