By: Rei Marshall, Research Associate
Introduction
Before HR 1 (the Big Beautiful Bill) was passed by Congress on July 4th, many Connecticut residents already facing the effects of under-investment in affordable housing braced for impact. During the state’s 2025 legislative session, housing services and healthcare providers engaged actively in policy discussions and advocacy efforts alongside the communities they served. Housing advocates stood alongside nursing unions on advocacy days in Hartford, fighting for state funding to compensate for encroaching federal losses in Medicaid and HUD (Housing and Urban Development) funding. On rally days for H.B. 5002, the omnibus housing bill that aimed to expand high-quality, affordable housing options for low-income residents, providers from Community Health Centers made their presence felt. Their collective participation underscored the deep connection between housing and health in the state, sending a clear signal to policymakers that the two are intrinsically linked.
The early impacts of HR 1 are already being felt by many, but come 2026, severe threats to both Medicaid and housing program funding are expected to shift greater responsibility onto state policymakers if they want to keep vital safety net programs like Medicaid alive.
In some cases, integrating Medicaid funding with housing-related services improves housing stability and healthcare access. Historically, strategic advocacy efforts can help protect and expand these programs, even in a landscape of dwindling resources (Paradise & Cohen Ross, 2017). For instance, Connecticut’s Housing Engagement and Support Services (CHESS) initiative is designed to improve housing stability and health for individuals with complex needs, particularly those experiencing homelessness and behavioral health concerns (CT Department of Social Services, 2021).
I sought to understand the effectiveness and impact of existing policy making at the nexus of health and housing from the perspective of the communities receiving services, the providers delivering them, and domain-expert researchers.
Exploring how state and town-level policies at the intersection of housing and healthcare shape the well-being of low-income and housing-insecure residents, I conducted interviews and focus groups with individuals with lived experience of homelessness, case managers, program supervisors, and policy experts. These interviews aimed to capture perspectives on current programs and options for future state and local-level policies. Finally, the interviews examined the utility and drawbacks of policymaking at the intersection of housing and healthcare. This policy brief highlights direct quotes from interviewees, organized by theme, to demonstrate this intersection.