Connecticut must fix its housing crisis

Amidst an overwhelming affordable housing crisis, Connecticut is ranked the worst place in the nation for renters.

As housing costs rise more quickly than incomes, the state has a shortage of over 92,000 homes affordable to low-income individuals and families, while over half of the state’s renters pay more than 30% of their monthly income on rent.

From our state’s aging housing stock to the housing vacancy rate of 3.5%, Connecticut is at a critical housing crisis point. While this past legislative session state leaders made progress on some incremental policy changes, families across our state still need and demand immediate and long-term solutions.

Organizations like ours have the responsibility to deepen our commitment to ensuring our neighbors can live in safe and stable housing. By combining our expertise, capacity, and resources, our organizations are focusing on regional housing solutions and working alongside groups that are directly impacted by our unhealthy housing system.

No county in Connecticut has enough affordable homes to meet the needs of its very-low income households. One-third of all subsidized housing in Connecticut needs to be accessible to residents who have a disability, especially seniors and others living with physical, ambulatory, and cognitive disabilities. Our communities need housing options that provide stability and safety to ensure stronger outcomes for children, families and individuals.

Together as partners in the Centers for Housing Opportunity (CHO), Local Initiatives Support Corporation Connecticut (LISC CT), Partnership for Strong Communities (The Partnership) and the Housing Collective support regionally responsive housing solutions with the technical expertise to see them implemented. Together with local community foundations and our regional partners in Fairfield County, Litchfield County and Eastern Connecticut, CHO is driving solutions to the housing crisis.

For the past several years the Housing Collective and the Partnership have been collaborating under the umbrella of CHO to engage regional stakeholders in the collaborative development and implementation of housing solutions to help meet each region’s specific housing challenges. Our two founding organizations are thrilled that LISC CT has now joined the team bringing expertise and capacity in lending and investment to bring housing projects to fruition.

Collectively we bridge the gap between locally responsive regional solutions and statewide policy to increase production, preservation, and protection of affordable housing statewide. Just recently, we kicked off a new acquisition loan fund that allows community-based organizations focused on housing in Litchfield County to find and acquire land or buildings to increase housing options.

In the coming months we will directly connect local projects to additional regional capital pools of seed funding; provide responsive technical assistance to towns to implement plans that aim to create more housing; facilitate peer learning networks across municipalities to encourage best practices and capacity building; and support resident leaders to engage in and lead their town’s housing discussions.

Jim Horan leads LISC Connecticut’s work. David Rich is the President and CEO of the Housing Collective. Chelsea Ross is the Executive Director of the Partnership for Strong Communities.