News

Lawmakers eye reforms after report finds half of affordable housing vouchers going unused in CT

Jacqueline Rabe Thomas | CT Insider

Federal and state lawmakers are eyeing major reforms in response to a Hearst Connecticut Media Group investigation which revealed half of vouchers issued to help low-income residents find affordable housing in the state went unused.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-CT, called the situation “heartbreaking”...

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Advocates say CT needs over 137,000 affordable housing units. They want it fairly allocated to more towns.

Deidre Montague | Hartford Courant

Jahaira Vega said she was in shock when she received an eviction notice from her landlord requiring her and her two daughters to leave their apartment after 16 years of living in West Hartford.

She knew the landlord was upset with her for reporting heating...

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Housing advocacy group announces priorities for legislative session

Ginny Monk | CT Mirror

The upcoming legislative session is likely to bring a new effort to pass meaningful zoning reforms, according to advocates for a fund that rewards towns that create affordable housing and eviction protections for tenants.

Growing Together Connecticut, a consortium of about 45 advocacy groups, faith...

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Why everyone in CT should care about affordable housing and 8-30g

Jordan Nathaniel Fenster | CT Insider

There are affordable housing units built in towns across Connecticut, often amid controversy and despite some public outcry.

The arguments against affordable housing often center around a town’s right to self-determination, to define the look, feel and character of a community, without interference from...

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Town After Town, Residents Are Fighting Affordable Housing in Connecticut

Lisa Prevost | New York Times

In the town of Fairfield, Conn., nearly 2,400 residents have signed a petition opposing a project proposed for downtown that could bring 19 units of affordable housing.

In nearby New Canaan, homeowners have raised about $84,000 for a legal fund to fight a proposed...

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A lack of appetite for zoning reform has advocates, legislators regrouping

Ginny Monk | CT Mirror

Despite five years of advance notice that Connecticut towns would have to submit affordable housing plans by June 1, less than half of them made the deadline.

The deadline — established by a 2017 law that requires such plans every five years —marked an important...

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As affordable housing deadline approaches, Connecticut towns’ response a mix of pushback and innovation — and one allegation of perpetuating segregation

Don Stacom | Hartford Courant

Facing a state-mandated deadline of Wednesday, Connecticut communities this spring have been wrapping up work on their official plans to provide more affordable housing — even though many caution that the state’s goal isn’t practical.

As of May 23, fewer than 50 of Connecticut’s 169...

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Why advocates say CT is experiencing ‘housing crisis’

Jordan Fenster | CT Insider

Advocates believe Connecticut is in the midst of a housing crisis. They say the cost of housing at all levels is pricing out renters and potential owners who only a short time ago could afford their homes.

People are forced to move, these advocates say,...

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Group offers ideas to build affordable housing

Alex Wood | Journal Inquirer

GLASTONBURY — The town could do its share to meet the Hartford area’s affordable housing needs through measure such as allowing multifamily developments on lots now limited to single-family homes, using town-owned land for multifamily housing, and allowing redevelopment of underused office buildings as apartments.

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