HARTFORD, CT — The day began as an uncharacteristically warm one, but by the time nearly 250 volunteers stepped out to begin their charity walk through Hartford Saturday, the temperatures had plunged. But that was really the point.
The volunteers gathered at Community Renewal Team’s (CRT) Windsor Street offices in Hartford as part of the second annual Coldest Night of the Year 2K and 5K walk, an annual fundraiser coordinated by CRT and the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness that tasks teams and organizations to raise money to support people in Connecticut experiencing homelessness and hunger.
“There are over 1,700 people that are in between the hotels and being outside at any point in time right now,” said Sarah Fox, CEO of the coalition. “This number is real, and people are dying. We had a person die just yesterday. And so the reality is, every voice, every partnership, every pathway that we build together, and it can only be together, is the way to prevent homelessness.”
Sarah Fox, CEO of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, speaks to the gathered walkers at the Coldest Night of the Year fundraising walk in Hartford, CT on Feb. 28, 2026. Credit: Jamil Ragland / CTNewsJunkie
Fox said nearly 200 people died in the state last year while experiencing homelessness. Initiatives like the walk are critical to bringing that number down, she said.
The fundraiser originated in Canada with two locations and three charitable organizations providing support. As of 2023, the list of locations had grown to more than 180, and this year more than 40 cities across Canada and the United States are hosting walking events, with hundreds of organizations offering support.
As of 5 p.m. on Saturday, Connecticut’s fundraiser had generated $44,100.
Cindy Dubuque-Gallo, a member of the First Congregational Church of Vernon, this year’s top fundraising team at over $6,500, said the fundraiser was important because while housing unaffordability and homelessness has increased, there hasn’t been an increase in resources to meet the need.
“We must be sure that we take care of our neighbors,” she said. “Housing is a human right.”
Connecticut has seen steady growth in the number of people experiencing homelessness over the past few years. A recent report from Data Haven examined point-in-time (PIT) counts for the number of people experiencing homelessness in the state on a given night, and found that the number has increased 183% from 2021 through 2025, from 294 people to 833 people.
The Point-in-Time (PIT) count dated July 15, 2025, is a count of sheltered and unsheltered people experiencing homelessness on a single night in January. Credit: Screengrab / Point-in-Time (PiT) Count Dashboard
Christopher McCluskey, CRT’s senior vice president, told the walkers that CRT had served more than 40,000 people in 2025 alone.
“The Coldest Night in the Year walk doesn’t just raise money and support those experiencing homelessness,” he said. “It’s one night in the year where collectively, thousands of people across the country step outside of their comfort zone and show solidarity with those struggling out in the cold, who are hungry and have no place to go.”
Nancy Navarretta, commissioner of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, said housing was especially important for people who are in recovery, calling it the “foundation” upon which healing takes place.
“Your presence here tonight sends a powerful message,” she said at the event. “It says that in Connecticut, we do not look away. It says that we recognize the humanity and dignity of every person. It says that we believe homelessness is not a personal failing, but a societal challenge that requires collective action.”
Hartford is the first city in Connecticut to host a walk. Mayor Arunan Arulampalam said he was inspired by the event. He said Hartford had increased the number of cold weather beds by 70% in the past year, but more work remained to be done.
“We can do better, in this capitol city, and around this state, and in this country, we have a choice to make,” he said. “We as a society have failed so many of our neighbors and friends, but we as people can choose a different path.”