CTMirror | By: Ginny Monk
The report, obtained by The Connecticut Mirror, examined the number of state-sponsored affordable housing units built during Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration. The report showed that just over 13,700 units of affordable housing have received state funding since 2019, and about 8,000 of those were rehabilitated homes rather than new construction.
It wasn’t clear from the report how much the rehabilitated properties actually expanded the state’s overall housing stock.
That has raised questions about Gov. Ned Lamont’s claims that under his leadership, the state is building more housing than in past years.
At a Department of Housing conference last week, the governor said, “We built more new housing … over the last three years than we have during any three-year period 10, 20 years ago. We’ve built probably 70% more housing than during that time.”
“We have built more housing in the last three years, in the last six years than we have in the decade before,” he said at a Stamford event earlier this month.
Housing experts say it’s not clear what data Lamont is referring to when he makes claims like these, although he clarified after the housing conference that he was referring to state-sponsored housing.
“I think a lot of the conversation makes it sound like we’re talking about new homes only, and those numbers are generally quite a bit lower than the numbers for preservation,” said Sean Ghio, policy director at the Partnership for Strong Communities. “It’s not a very nuanced conversation, just to take the total number.”
“When I hear, ‘We’re building more housing than we have,’ that’s kind of a general statement. I need to understand better what’s underneath that,” Ghio said.