Unlocking Solutions: 2025 Policy Agenda
Connecticut United Ways are committed to building a brighter future with and for ALICE families. During the next legislative session, we will work tirelessly alongside community partners to:
- Establish a fully refundable Connecticut Child Tax Credit
- Reduce the cost of housing, childcare and food
- Strengthen 211 to meet increasing demand
Create a fully refundable CT Child Tax Credit
- Returning money to families enables them to buy essential items for their children that other programs don’t cover.
- A fully refundable CT Child Tax Credit of $600 per child benefits 550,000 children and 75% of families. (Eligibility: up to $100,000 annual income for a single filer, $200,000 for joint filers)
- A 100% refundable credit means that families who do not have a tax liability would receive the full value of the credit.
- Families spend these tax credits right away, boosting local businesses and the state economy.
- Estimated cost of the child tax credit for up to three children: $300 million per year. (Exact family benefits and total policy cost depends on income phaseout schedule)
Impact of CT Child Tax Credit
Supported by the CT Child Tax Credit Coalition
Research and Resources
- Parents Under Pressure: The U.S. Surgeon General Advisory on the Mental Health and Well-Being of Parents
- Opportunity Connecticut: Reimagining Our Workforce, Economy, and Quality of Life (Connecticut Business and Industry Association)
- Young People First (Connecticut Conference of Municipalities)
- Poverty in the U.S. and Connecticut, 2019-2023 (CT Voices for Children)
- The Role of a Connecticut Child Tax Credit (CT CTC) in Eradicating Poverty and Advancing Racial and Ethnic Equity (CT Voices for Children)
- A Connecticut Child Tax Credit (CT CTC) in Making Our Tax System Fairer and Stimulating Economic Growth (CT Voices for Children
- The proposed Connecticut Child Tax Credit: Estimating impacts for towns, legislative districts, and households by race and ethnicity (DataHaven)
Strengthen 211 to Meet Increasing Demand
Since its inception in 1976 as a public-private partnership with the State of Connecticut, 211 has connected countless residents with essential services, from housing assistance to mental health support. When you call 211, a professional contact center specialist will listen and connect you with a wide range of resources and benefits that meet your needs. This is more than simply "patching people through" to agencies. It’s about providing comprehensive care and efficient support for your unique situation. This trusted one-stop shop of 40,000 essential services makes our social service ecosystem more effective and gives hardworking families the support they need to contribute to their communities and thrive.
Serve an additional 1,740 callers every week
- Flat funding of our Informational and Referral services contract with the Department of Social Services since 2010 has reduced critical staffing capacity
- There is a direct connection between staffing levels, wait times and the number of residents 211 can serve – for example, our 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline answers 95% of calls in less than 10 seconds
- Connecting residents with more than 40,000 community resources, making our social service ecosystem more effective and efficient
Leverage 211 to reduce youth disconnection
- Expand access to 211 with additional contact center specialists and a new 211 app with an AI-powered chat function, plus a youth-focused awareness campaign and flex funds to immediately help keep young people on track
- The recent Dalio Education, CT Conference of Municipalities, and Campaign for Working CT reports highlight the crisis and solutions for 119,000 young people aged 14-26 who are at-risk or already disconnected from school or work
- 211 responded to more than 45,000 unique service requests from 3,300 young people in 2024 - a 25% increase in five years
Impact of 211
Top Service Requests in 2024 Across Connecticut
| Housing & Shelter | 600,910 |
| Mental Health & Addictions | 224,299 |
| Food | 216,133 |
| Employment & Income | 130,037 |
| Healthcare & COVID-19 | 91,648 |
| Utilities | 88,805 |
| Government & Legal | 60,245 |
| Clothing & Household | 44,005 |
| Child Care & Parenting | 20,692 |
| Disaster | 14,286 |
| Education | 10,151 |
| Transportation Assistance | 5,226 |
| Other | 274,241 |
Economic Well-Being: A Crisis of Affordability
Housing, child care and food are out of reach for too many Connecticut families. Connecticut United Ways work alongside ALICE families and community partners to advocate for proven solutions that make life more affordable. We’re working behind the scenes with leading advocates on these issues.
Need help? Have an idea?
Need help? Have an idea? Our advocacy team is here for you.
Daniel Fitzmaurice, Director of Advocacy
Daniel.Fitzmaurice@CTUnitedWay.org
860-249-8788
Cheryl Hardgrave, Advocacy Coordinator
Cheryl.Hardgrave@CTUnitedWay.org
860-372-4216