Opinion: Our weakened state

In his recent essay in CT Mirror, Melvin Medina asked: whose voices matter to Connecticut policymakers when we talk about housing? I hope it’s clear to anyone listening that the voices of those who need affordable, accessible, and safe housing are being drowned out by what Mel calls the “No-Growth, No-Opportunity Coalition.”

Connecticut once welcomed newcomers, young families, and growing businesses as essential to our civic and economic life. My own family benefited from growth-friendly policies in 1971, when my young parents were able to buy a small ranch-style home in Waterbury to raise their growing family. I want my kids to have the same opportunities in Connecticut, but that’s unlikely if we keep ignoring what young people are telling us.

Still, I feel a shift. Have you noticed it too? Connecticut’s foundations are shifting. Too many young people don’t see a future for them in Connecticut. We’ve ignored this growing problem for too long. Like so many of life’s challenges, the longer we delay facing our housing affordability crisis, the harder it becomes to solve. It’s simply too expensive to afford a home in Connecticut, and the consequences of denial are becoming more severe.

I work in housing policy, and I hear heartbreaking stories every day from people struggling to find or keep a home. But something unusual is happening more often — maybe it’s happening to you, too. More and more people in my personal life are sharing how Connecticut’s housing problems — high costs, limited options, aging and unsafe homes — are making their lives less secure, less affordable, and less successful.

Here are three stories I’ve heard recently from people who didn’t know I work in housing policy:

• A family fears eviction without cause if they ask their landlord to make necessary repairs. They choose not to ask and instead try to fix the problems themselves. They know how difficult, if not impossible, it would be to find another affordable rental home in their school district. They want their son to stay with the friends and teachers he loves.
• A young man who recently sold my daughter a car wishes he could live closer to his job and family in Fairfield County. He endures a long commute from the Naugatuck Valley because he and his wife can’t afford to rent closer to work. Now, they’re considering a larger apartment even farther away to make room for a future family. What he really wants is to buy a home but that feels impossible.
• A young dental hygienist is frustrated that she still lives with her parents, despite avoiding student loan debt and working multiple jobs in her field for years. Her advice to young graduates is practical but disheartening: move out of state.

Connecticut’s housing shortage is reshaping people’s life choices. It’s weakening our families and our economy like rot in a home’s foundation that, left untreated, spreads through the structure. What was once a limited and solvable problem is now systemic, demanding immediate and serious intervention.

Yet, our local and state leaders have not been united to address the crisis. Too many local officials remain obstacles to progress, letting those voices of NO dictate a less vibrant future for Connecticut. We’re still waiting for the promised special session from the Connecticut General Assembly and Governor Lamont after the governor’s veto of a comprehensive housing bill in June.

When it comes to housing, the status quo isn’t working. Building homes is harder and more expensive than ever. Public policy can’t fix everything, but the state must do what it can. We need our leaders to share the urgency that this crisis has brought to so many of our neighbors and pass meaningful reforms.

Legislators and Governor Lamont: please return to the Capitol, meet in special session, and begin the hard work of rebuilding the foundation of housing affordability and stability for the people of Connecticut.

Sean Ghio is the policy director of Partnership for Strong Communities.