Building Belonging – Lessons from Bittersweet Lane on Affordable Housing
Monday, November 16 | 9:30 AM
We are thrilled to announce Jamie Madden, author of Bittersweet Lane: Creating Home(s) in the American Affordable Housing Crisis, as the first keynote speaker for the 2026 Connecticut Affordable Housing Conference (CAHC).
Jamie brings a rare combination of lived experience and professional expertise to the national conversation on affordable housing. Having grown up in affordable housing himself, he has dedicated his career to expanding housing opportunities through roles in development, federal grant management, philanthropy, and policy leadership. Today, he continues that work as an author and advocate, helping audiences better understand the systems, challenges, and possibilities that shape housing in America.
In Bittersweet Lane, Jamie weaves together personal stories with decades of firsthand experience in the affordable housing field, offering an honest and compelling look at what it means to create—and preserve—places people can truly call home. His work makes complex housing policy and development accessible to broad audiences while highlighting the human impact behind every housing decision.
At CAHC 2026, Jamie will share insights drawn from his personal journey and distinguished career, exploring how communities can build more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable housing solutions. His keynote promises to inspire meaningful conversation and equip attendees with new perspectives on addressing today’s housing challenges.
Building Lasting Housing Change: Lessons from Across the States
Tuesday, November 17 | 9:30 AM
What does it take to move from agreement that we are experiencing a housing is a crisis to a shared strategy for solving it?
Across the country, different states are bringing community members, policymakers, advocates, and other partners together around a clearer vision for a different housing future.
Leaders from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, California, and Michigan will share how they developed and put statewide housing roadmaps into action. They will offer a look at the choices they made, the challenges they encountered, the relationships they built, and the policy progress they have achieved.
As Connecticut considers what comes next, these experiences offer valuable lessons about building a vision that is ambitious and capable of guiding action over time. This conversation will invite participants to think beyond individual policies and consider what it would take to create lasting momentum toward a Connecticut where everyone has a safe, stable home they can afford.
Featuring:
Rachel Flaherty
Rhode Island Executive Office of Housing
Megan Spitz
Michigan State Housing Development Authority
Gina McLaughlin
MA Executive Office of Housing & Livable Communities
Gina McLaughlin
Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities