About Hunger, Homelessness and the Auction

The annual Hunger & Homelessness Auction was established in 1993 by students at the Yale Schools of Medicine and Public Health who were interested in alleviating hunger and homelessness in the Greater New Haven area.

By uniting the students and faculty of the health professional schools with local businesses, the H&H Auction seeks to raise awareness and funds for community organizations devoted to issues of hunger and homelessness. The generous and whimsical donations - everything from a week in a London flat to sushi-making lessons - are sold to the highest bidder during both live and silent auctions. The spirit of the auctions is rounded out by a week-long series of events including relevant lectures, a canned food drive, and additional fund-raisers.

Previous sponsors from the 18th Annual H&H Auction were:

• Dwight Hall
• Yale Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS)
• Yale School of Medicine Committee Overseeing Volunteer Services (COVS)

Did you know?

>>   33,000 people experienced homelessness in Connecticut last year.

>>   Over 250 individuals in the New Haven area are chronically homeless

>>   A total of 1305 persons are characterized as homeless in a week

>>   An estimated 3,938 persons in New Haven experience homelessness at some point during the year

>>   The homeless population in New Haven includes single men, single women, homeless families with underage children, and unaccompanied youth

>>   The subgroup of single adults had a higher incidence of men (67%) than women (29%), with 4% refusing to answer the item about gender

>>   Minor children in families and unaccompanied youth under 24 years of age represented 35% of all persons reported as homeless during the index week

>>   Persons in families represented 40% of the total homeless population

>> Families consisted of predominately female heads-of-household accompanied by one or two children under the age of 5 years

>>   There has been a 20% increase in homelessness in the past two years.

>>   The leading causes of homelessness include: poverty, lack of affordable housing, substance abuse, mental illness, unemployment, injury or illness.

>>   30% of single homeless adults experience some form of mental illness

>>  Single adults spent an average of 4 months homeless

>>   60% of homeless adults are drug and/or alcohol dependant.

>>  1,300 people in New Haven are without a place to stay each night. There are only 300 beds in the system for them to use.

>>   Columbus House serves over 100,000 meals a year, and spends $23,000 annually on basic client needs including bus and cab fare.

>>   Approximately 5% of Columbus House clients are veterans.

>>   Every year Columbus House makes over 4,000 referrals to other community-based social service agencies.

>>   The average monthly income for a single homeless person is between $200 and $280. The fair market rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in New Haven is $882 monthly.

>>   Twenty percent of all respondents were employed in some capacity

>>   All respondents described having significant service needs, including assistance with basic needs (e.g., financial aid, food, clothing, and medical insurance), and a significant percentage identified the need for behavioral health and/or medical treatment

Links to further information