The Partnership for Strong Communities joins our national partners in endorsing the bipartisan Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream (ROAD) to Housing Act of 2025 (S. 2651), introduced by Senators Scott (, Warren (D, MA), and other bipartisan colleagues, and we urge the U.S. Congress to pass it. This legislation offers key tools to address a housing affordability crisis here in Connecticut and around the country that is severe and growing.
In July, the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee passed the ROAD to Housing Act out of committee unanimously, 24-0. The Act contains 23 previously introduced pieces of legislation, all introduced comprehensive bipartisan political attention on the national housing crisis seen by a chronic lack of, skyrocketing with bipartisan sponsors. In its current form, the bill is the most inventory piece of housing legislation to advance in almost two decades. This is a nod to growing rent and home prices and increasing homelessness especially among families with children across various demographics of Americans.
In CT, we are facing startling shortages and cost burdens in housing, particularly for renters and extremely low-income households.
- There are 141,158 renter households in Connecticut who are “extremely low income” (i.e., at or below ~30% of area median income)
- Yet, there is a shortage of about 90K rental homes that are affordable and available to these extremely low-income renters.
- Among extremely low-income renters, 73% are severely cost-burdened (i.e., paying more than 50% of income on housing), and about 87% pay more than 30% of income on housing costs
- Overall, more than half of renter households in CT are cost-burdened: 52.9% spend at least 30% of their income on housing and utilities. Homeowners are less burdened, though still significantly so, at around 27.0%
- Connecticut has been identified as having the most constrained housing market in the country, with a very low vacancy rate (~7%), meaning availability of housing is severely limited compared to demand
- The state needs more than 100K additional homes to meet current demand statewide, especially in the Hartford region and southwestern Connecticut
These figures reflect not just numbers but consequences: increased housing instability, greater risk of homelessness, more households forced to choose between housing and basic necessities like food, healthcare, childcare.
The ROAD to Housing Act would help:
- Address zoning and land use policies through adopting best practice frameworks, national zoning templates and offering incentives for building near transit. Many CT cities and towns face zoning obstacles, large lot requirements, and limits on density that raise housing costs and make new, affordable development difficult.
- Increase oversight and efficiency of federal regulators and housing programs. In CT over 160,000 households are affected by federal housing regulations and programs.
- Offer pilot grants and flexible funding to incentivize localities to permit new home construction and help local communities identify and overcome barriers to housing development.
- Reduce red tape, modernize outdated review processes, and give communities the tools they need to encourage and streamline construction through targeted investments and reforms to expand a variety of housing supply from single-family homes, multifamily developments, and manufactured housing including lower-cost, scalable construction types
- Expand rental assistance and speed up homeownership to lower-income households by improving financing access and small-dollar mortgage reforms to those who are currently stuck waiting in a market they can’t afford.
- Create permanent authorization and reform of disaster recovery funding that would enhance resilience in coastal, riverine, and flood-prone parts of the state, so that Connecticut families recover more equitably when disasters strike.
- Support preservation of existing affordable housing, including for small landlords and low-income homeowners by helping protect aging housing stock, especially in older urban neighborhoods where much of the affordable stock is deteriorating
Supported by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), National Association of Realtors, the American Planning Association Advocates and the US Conference of Mayors, the ROAD to Housing Act is creating some much-needed unity around a major national issue that is affecting millions of people across the country.
“When over 140,000 renter households are extremely low income, and our affordable housing stock falls tens of thousands of units short, it isn’t just a policy issue, it’s a crisis of stability and dignity. The ROAD to Housing Act has the potential to bring the federal investment and reform we need to ensure every family in Connecticut has a safe, affordable place to call home, and we urge our Congressional delegation to move swiftly,” said Chelsea Ross, Executive Director of the Partnership for Strong Communities.
While the bill is not the only solution to the nation’s housing crisis, it is a strong step in the right direction. If passed, it will require strong state and local leadership to follow through on its varied recommendations and resources. The Partnership looks forward to working with a coalition of Connecticut partners who will implement these policies and are Here for Housing!
For more information on federal housing policy, contact Amy Peltier, Coalition and Advocacy Director, amy@pschousing.org.