HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A southwestern Connecticut foundation raised $1 million in pledges over the past week to help nonprofits in the county hit hardest by the coronavirus. But demand for funding grew Friday by another $863,000.
Juanita James, president and CEO of Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, said she expects that requests from community organizations that help residents with basic needs, such as housing and health services, will only multiply in the coming weeks.
“The homeless shelters, they can’t address the need,” said James, noting how a large concentration of the requests for grants come for community agencies that help residents with housing needs, including rental assistance so people don’t get evicted.
The cost of living in Fairfield County, which borders New York, is roughly 30% higher than the national average. Despite the county’s reputation of being wealthy, she said, there are many residents who have to pay 30-50% of their disposable income on housing needs and now find themselves out of work because of virus-related shutdowns.
Mendi Blue-Pace, the foundation’s chief community impact officer, said an emergency grant of $50,000 has already been provided to one nonprofit to book 50,000 hotel rooms in the region for homeless people. She said there have also been funding requests for food programs, childcare services, training for online teaching, mental health services and new telehealth initiatives. If the coronavirus-related closures last months, Blue-Pace estimated the foundation will receive $3 million to $5 million in requests from financially stretched nonprofits seeking help.
The foundation hopes to officially begin releasing grants to nonprofits next week. The growing need for donations comes as the number of positive cases in Connecticut continues to grow.
Some other COVID-19 developments in Connecticut on Friday:
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COURT CONCERNS
Civil liberties advocates are urging Connecticut court officials to change pretrial detention rules to allow people to avoid or be freed from detention because of the outbreak.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut said Friday that it has sent an emergency request to the state Judicial Branch, saying the risk of contracting the new virus is higher in prisons and jails than in the community.
The ACLU is asking court officials to limit the use of cash bail, add the pandemic to the list of legal reasons for bail modification requests and shorten the time for courts to review defendants’ pretrial detention to seven days.
The group says about 3,000 people are detained in Connecticut’s prison system only because they can’t afford to post bail.
Court officials say they already have been working with prison officials, prosecutors and public defenders to recommend ways to appropriately release people in pretrial detention.
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DMV HEADQUARTERS CLOSE
The state Department of Motor Vehicles has closed its office and headquarters in Wethersfield for disinfection after several workers tested positive for COVID-19 and employees complained about being forced to work there.
DMV officials said in a statement that the building closed Friday and won’t open again until Tuesday, allowing for a deep cleaning.
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CASES
As of Friday, three weeks after the state’s first confirmed infection, Gov. Ned Lamont said 1,291 residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19. There are currently 173 people being hospitalized, which Lamont said marks “the beginning of the surge” that’s expected to impact Connecticut hospitals in the coming weeks.
There have also been 27 fatalities so far.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.
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DOCTOR CHARGED
A University of Connecticut doctor has been accused of intentionally coughing on two other UConn Health workers and disregarding social distancing and other safety precautions aimed at preventing spread of the coronavirus. UConn police issued a misdemeanor breach of peace summons on Thursday to Dr. Cory Edgar, school officials said. An email seeking comment was sent to Edgar on Friday.
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SMALL BUSINESS LOAN PROGRAM
Connecticut is doubling the size of its new $25 million, no-interest bridge loan program for small businesses and nonprofits that was officially launched Thursday. Lamont said new applications have been put “on pause” after the Department of Economic and Community Development received more than 4,000 applications for one-year loans up to $75,000 during a 24 hour period. Additional staff have been assigned to process the current queue of loan requests. DECD is encouraging Connecticut businesses and nonprofits to also apply for disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
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SEASONAL FLU
Dr. Matthew Cartter, the state’s epidemiologist, said residents must be aware that seasonal flu is still active in Connecticut. Speaking during an AARP teleconference, Cartter said there were 118 hospitalizations in the state for flu last week. This year, there have been 2,934 flu-related hospitalizations and 72 deaths since October. The vast majority were over age 65.
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NURSING HOME VISITS
AARP of Connecticut and the state’s long-term-care ombudsman, Mairead Painter, said they’re asking the General Assembly and Gov. Ned Lamont to take action to require nursing homes and assisted living facilities to help the residents and their families to have “virtual visitations,” now that in-person visits are prohibited.
Painter said “having the ability to connect” is critical for patients living in facilities at this time. Many retirement homes, she said, are already helping residents use video chat apps like FaceTime to communicate with their loved ones, but she said there are facilities that have tablets and would welcome donated ones.
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ASIAN AMERICANS
Connecticut officials are denouncing attacks and discrimination against Asian Americans that they say are based on inaccurate information about the coronavirus and xenophobia.
Officials held a conference call Friday saying there have cyberbullying, violent attacks and discrimination against Asian Americans reported in recent weeks.
“We have all heard reports of fellow Americans being denied service, harassed, turned away and bullied because of their ethnicity,” said state Attorney General William Tong. “That is not who we are as Americans. Hate is not a cure, and racist dog whistles won’t get us more tests or ventilators.”
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Associated Press writers Dave Collins and Pat Eaton-Robb contributed to this report.
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