Connecticut faces a significant and uneven shortage of rental housing, with profound implications for housing equity, affordability, and mobility. This report introduces and analyzes the concept of “rental deserts”, areas where rental options for families are scarce, and explores their prevalence and impact across the state.
Key Findings
- Rental deserts are widespread in Connecticut: In 61% of Connecticut’s 169 towns rental housing represents less than 20% of housing stock; 30 towns have less than 10%. Over 40% of the state’s neighborhoods (census tracts) are rental deserts, and 20% are extreme rental deserts.
- Geographic disparities: Rental housing is concentrated in urban cores like Hartford and New Haven, while suburban and wealthy towns are overwhelmingly rental deserts. These areas also have fewer households using rental assistance.
- Exclusionary zoning and policy bias: Restrictive zoning and a historical policy preference for homeownership have limited the development of multifamily and rental housing, reinforcing racial and economic segregation.
- Rental Assistance Program (RAP) limitations: Although RAP vouchers are portable statewide, the program’s effectiveness is undermined by the lack of rental housing in many towns. Forty-towns have no RAP-assisted households, and towns with fewer rental homes have significantly lower voucher utilization rates.
- Neighborhood-level exclusion: Even within towns, renters are often steered into specific areas, further entrenching segregation and limiting access to opportunity.
Policy Recommendations
- Strengthen the Affordable Housing Appeals Act (8-30g):
- Clarify moratorium criteria
- Remove industrial zone exemptions
- Improve compliance enforcement
- Increase investment in affordable housing:
- Expand funding for LIHTC, FLEX, and Housing Trust Fund programs
- Preserve existing affordable units
- Upzone for density and transit-oriented development:
- Encourage multifamily housing near transit
- Incentivize zoning reform in suburban and high-opportunity areas
- Invest in public housing authorities:
- Support small-town housing authorities with funding for middle housing
Rental deserts limit housing choice, particularly for low-income households, people of color, and young adults. Rental deserts have not developed accidentally; they are the result of deliberate policy decisions. Addressing rental scarcity through zoning reform, investment, and regional planning is essential to creating a more equitable and abundant housing landscape in Connecticut.
