Everyone needs a place to live. That is something not seriously debated or disputed by Connecticut policymakers.
What was debated, disputed-–and in the end, discarded–- is the idea that the places people live should not be suddenly, and without justification, taken away from them.
“Just Cause” eviction protections, which prevent landlords removing a tenant without cause, already exist for seniors (age 62 and up) and people with disabilities in this state. Five states, including our neighbors in New Hampshire and New Jersey, already require landlords to give a reason for evicting any tenant. Importantly, the bill would have only applied to properties with five or more units and would not have affected small local landlords.
Why couldn’t Connecticut, facing our own growing crisis with housing and homelessness, take this step to provide stability for families–who already face spiraling rental costs–and prevent price-gouging practices by unscrupulous landlords?
State Rep. Antonio Felipe told the CT Mirror last month that he believed “we have the votes.” But somehow, the vote never happened. According to Felipe, that’s because too many lawmakers were afraid to be “public” with their support of “Just Cause.”
Protecting Connecticut families from arbitrary evictions should not be something legislators on either side of the political spectrum shrink from. The idea that a tenant who pays rent on time and follows all the rules should keep their living space cannot be controversial. Opponents to this measure, led by deep-pocketed landlords, claimed counter-intuitively (and bizarrely) that these measures would worsen the housing crisis by disincentivizing landlords from maintaining properties, leading (somehow) to a decrease in housing units.
Connecticut’s housing crisis is finally being acknowledged broadly, with a huge dearth of affordable places to live and high costs squeezing families in nearly every town. But it is vital to remember this crisis is not about properties, it is about people.
While building more living spaces remains essential, we cannot expect renters (largely young people) to thrive in our state under the constant threat of being forced from their homes. Career prospects, school performance, community connections -–all hinge on a stable living space. It would be deeply misguided, and dangerous, to continue working on other aspects of the housing crisis without shoring up the foundation.
Landlords themselves should -–and often do–- appreciate the stability that comes from having a reliable and responsible tenant long-term. We cannot expect our state to grow and flourish when so many, especially families and vulnerable people, live with the threat of arbitrary or retaliatory eviction.
Families who know they can be evicted without cause are at the mercy of the property owner. They must either accept poor living conditions, or risk being ejected in retaliation for a complaint. Families end up in hotels, lose work or miss school, and an eviction case can make it nearly impossible to find another stable living place.
This legislative session marks the second time the landlord lobby has prevented this vital protection at the base of our housing system. But we, as people who live in this state and care deeply about Connecticut, cannot let the principles that underpin these sorts of eviction protections disappear.
We will solve our current housing crisis, through cross-partisan work that starts with neighbors getting together and focusing on common-sense policies and practices that transcend partisanship.
“Just Cause” eviction protections must continue to be part of that process, in our state, and in every city and town that wants its residents to thrive.
Jesse Williams is a member of All in For Milford.
