By: Danielle Hubley, Advocacy & Education Manager, Partnership for Strong Communities
What does it take to create safe, stable, and affordable housing? What does it look like to support equitable housing systems, services and resources? How are advocates and community leaders partnering with folks both in and outside of their sectors to drive housing production or access? How are we showing up for our most vulnerable residents? These were just a few of the questions over 600 people came together to address at the 5th annual 2024 Connecticut Affordable Housing Conference (CAHC) on November 18 and 19.
Between our keynote, plenary and breakout session conversations across both days, the following themes continued to rise to the surface:
Connecticut needs more affordable and available housing.
Much of Connecticut’s housing stock was built prior to the 1990s, and we have consistently been underproducing since then, particularly in the aftermath of the Great Recession. Additionally, the cost of rent is rising faster than household income is rising across the country. Only about 40 out of every 100 homes are available for low-income renters in Connecticut. The state is short about 98,000 housing units affordable and available for our most vulnerable residents. We know that it will take time for the state to catch up on creating the housing we need, and in the meantime, we need support services and resources in place to keep people stably housed. These include (but are not limited to) protections for renters like Just Cause evictions and the Right to Counsel program, increasing funding and expanding the reach of the state’s Rental Assistance Program (RAP), and bolstering Fair Rent Commissions across the state. Housing is foundational to long term economic and psychological stability. When we provide a wide range of options to support people’s housing stability, we create more opportunity and stability for households to thrive – not just in their ability to afford and remain in their homes, but in many other areas of their lives as well.
Housing development and creation are political issues that require political solutions.
A prevalent theme that came up in remarks from our keynotes Jerusalem Demsas, Eva Rosen, and Brian McCabe, as well as in our Municipal and Legislative Leader roundtables was local control. There are 169 independently managed towns and municipalities within Connecticut’s borders, all with different needs, populations and infrastructure capacity for housing. Connecticut historically (and currently) favors local control when it comes to making decisions about what is built and available to residents. This approach has not proven to successfully move the needle when it comes to advancing the housing development we know the state desperately needs. House Majority Leader Representative Jason Rojas has expressed what he feels is “painfully incremental progress” in reference to the challenge of passing housing bills through the state legislature. Representative Eleni Kavros DeGraw, co-chair of the Planning and Development Committee has also echoed these concerns, stating “It’s all come together into this perfect storm where we find ourselves and the incremental change is really hard for people who are advocates, everyone in this room, because you see how bad it is.” In a recent poll conducted for the CT Mirror, 46% of voters in the state ranked housing costs as one of the most important issues in the 2024 presidential election. 51% of voters said they strongly or somewhat approve of a state policy requiring cities and towns in Connecticut to create zoning for more affordable housing. But on this issue, voters were split along party lines: almost three-quarters of Democratic voters supported such a requirement, while two-thirds of Republican voters disapproved of such a policy. States who are successful in advancing housing policy reform and protections have continually pointed to the necessity of bi-partisan support. It will take more engagement from legislators and members of the public alike to move Connecticut to action.
Community input and engagement is necessary, especially from those most impacted by housing insecurity.
Community empowerment, civic engagement, building trust and strong relationships were consistently highlighted as necessary and central to organizing efforts among affordable housing advocates in the state. In a session focused on Housing Choice and the Mobility Continuum, Policy Program Manager Andrew Campbell with The Urban Institute stated, “People need to feel power and autonomy in their lives to feel a sense of belonging and dignity in their community.” If we know this to be true… how do we support community members to be engaged and empowered to participate in driving the change we know we need? Sometimes this means getting creative about what it means to engage community. Can we engage young people in conducting local research on how people feel about the housing landscape? Can we engage our neighbors, friends and family through art that reflects their experiences? How are we crafting solutions that residents are not just bought into, but leading? CAHC breakout sessions highlighted local examples of engaging community members in housing advocacy, and provided practical, thoughtful and creative solutions for attendees to consider in their own work.
Collaboration is key to driving meaningful change in Connecticut’s housing landscape.
Whether collaboration is between philanthropists and advocates, between elected leaders and their constituents, between developers and conservation advocates, between regional and local nonprofits, we need each other to build strong, powerful coalitions. We can avoid delays and bureaucratic hurdles that sometimes arise by talking to all partners involved in the creation and maintenance of Connecticut’s housing stock throughout all stages of the process. Whether you are looking to create new homes in your neighborhood, to ensure the infrastructure exists to support new developments, or are seeking to expand legal protections, resources or programs that support housing stability and affordability, we need people in all realms of practice to be bought into our vision for adequate affordable housing. By building strong relationships we can better address conflict or challenges that may arise, and importantly, celebrate wins together. No policy change effort happens in a bubble or can be credited back to just one person or organization. It is always a combination of effort, perspective, and expertise that drives real, lasting and meaningful change. Most importantly, trust is a crucial element in any change-making effort and is central to successful campaigns.
The Bottom Line
There are many people, perspectives, programs, and policies that need to be considered and bolstered to make Connecticut a safe, stable, affordable and most importantly, a more equitable place to live. It will take a shared understanding of state and local need, the political willpower and accountability, broad, diverse and expansive partnerships, and the insights, input and engagement of people living in all 169 of Connecticut’s towns and cities to move the needle. Only with a wide range of tools, partnerships and commitments in place can we help shape Connecticut into a state that allows and ensures renters and homeowners can thrive.
More on the 2024 CAHC
Click here to view recordings from 2024 CAHC sessions.
Click here for an in-depth summary of Jerusalem Demsas’ keynote.
Click here for an in-depth summary of Brian McCabe and Eva Rosen’s keynote.