Many Connecticut families are struggling to find housing or living in cramped, run-down apartments that get more expensive each year. Take for example “Sam,” a mother of two in her mid-30s. After fleeing from an abusive relationship, Sam stayed in a shelter for a period of time, but found it difficult to find a safe apartment for her and her children.

In an interview with Dr. Tricia Lewis, Sam said, “When I was first looking for an apartment, it was hard to find one because… the rents are so high [and] because a lot of landlords want cash on the spot. And if you don’t have the cash on the spot, they don’t want to deal with you.” 

Sam looked for several months to find a suitable apartment, being turned away multiple times due to her source of payment, a housing voucher. This search caused a great deal of stress and worry for Sam, as it does for many other Connecticut residents who are priced out or discriminated against in their housing search.

We can do better for our people – Connecticut families need more quality, affordable housing options.

Connecticut faces a housing shortage of up to 380,000 units, and the average renter makes only $22.69 per hour, which is significantly less than the $35.42 required for a modest, two-bedroom apartment.

Under the House Bill 5396 known as “YIGBY” (Yes in Gods Backyard), Connecticut now has an opportunity to address this situation. This bill would make it easier for religious organizations like churches and synagogues to build affordable housing on their own land which often goes untouched. Religious organizations are already in a position to support this being that they look for ways to benefit and support the community around them.

 This approach is not only practical, but also essential. The supply and demand for housing in Connecticut are significantly out of balance. Zillow data shows that rents and property prices have been rising gradually in recent years, putting pressure on individuals with middle-class and lower-class incomes. Renting families will continue to become more unstable as a result of this tendency if nothing is done. YIGBY  provides a cost-effective and efficient means of expanding the housing supply without needing additional land for development.

This bill is particularly important because of the link between housing and health. The affordability crisis is a public health issue, not just a housing problem. Health can  deteriorate when a family’s housing costs exceed half of their income. Families in “cost-burdened” situations are more likely to experience chronic stress, which is directly linked to heart disease and hypertension, and they are less likely to seek preventative care.

Children who experience this degree of housing uncertainty are exposed to toxic stress, which has an impact on their long-term academic success and brain development. Stable housing allows individuals to maintain employment, access healthcare, and build supportive social networks. It improves mental health, lowers ER visits, and makes children’s surroundings safer. In this way, investing in housing is also an investment in public health infrastructure.

YIGBY guidelines, according to their opponents, might give religious organizations unique rights to override local zoning laws. It is important to note that zoning regulations have frequently been utilized to keep affordable homes out of high opportunity neighborhoods, perpetuating racial and economic segregation.

The YIGBY strategy lowers needless obstacles that impede prompt solutions; it does not entirely eliminate oversight. “Restrictive zoning is one of the biggest constraints on housing supply in high-cost areas,” according to housing expert Jenny Schuetz. If Connecticut wants to increase housing access and health outcomes, these limitations must be addressed.

Connecticut lawmakers should move quickly by passing YIGBY legislation. By doing this, religious organizations could re-purpose their property, more affordable housing options would be available for Connecticut families, and one of the primary causes of health disparities in the state would be addressed. More importantly, it would show a commitment to innovative, community-based solutions that prioritize human well-being and dignity.

Isabela Lizano is a junior at Sacred Heart University, majoring in Health Sciences with a concentration in Public Health.

Halting property taxes, deterring migrants and dedicating $100 million to fund construction are among the ideas Maine’s gubernatorial candidates have to improve the state’s housing market.

Most of the 16 people vying to be Maine’s next governor agree the state’s housing market is suffering due to high prices, limited availability and slow construction. But their plans for how they’d immediately improve that if elected vary drastically.

Many candidates’ ideas centered around the same general themes: build more units and hasten construction. Doing this, they believe, will lower prices and make it easier for Mainers to buy a home.

The state’s tight housing market has been a burden on many Mainers — and a focal point for voters — since the pandemic, during which home prices skyrocketed due to a rush of demand while inventory plummeted. Since then, more homes have become available but prices remain high, which keeps homeownership out of reach for many, especially first-time buyers.

Roughly a dozen candidates agreed local and state permitting processes and regulations should be reformed to speed up the building process and allow more projects to be approved. A statewide study completed in 2023 found the state has a dramatic housing shortage due to years of underproduction, which will take at least 76,400 new units by 2030 to solve.

Three Republican candidates — Ben Midgley, Owen McCarthy and Bobby Charles — proposed addressing “red tape” that’s holding back development as part of their plan. Two others, Republican Jonathan Bush and independent Richard Bennett, want to perform statewide audits to identify where and why housing development projects are stalling.

Democrat Hannah Pingree proposed directing $100 million in state funding annually to fuel construction and preserve existing affordable units.

Both Angus King III, a Democrat, and John Glowa, an independent, outlined plans to build 10,000 new units, which King wants to complete by the end of his first term. However, King believes the 10,000 new units should span income levels while Glowa wants all the units to be low income rental housing.

Two other candidates, democrat Troy Jackon and republican Robert Wessels, described groups they plan to form with the explicit goal of improving housing in Maine. Jackson’s Department of Housing Affordability would be tasked with “tackling the housing crisis with the speed, scale, and focus working families deserve.”

Wessels’ team, meanwhile, would “dig into our housing regulations and figure out what ones we need to keep.” Regulations the group deems unnecessary would be repealed or altered to “allow our homebuilders to do their job.”

A few candidates offered entirely unique ideas, such as Democrat Shenna Bellows, who proposed freezing property taxes for Mainers while doubling those for out-of-state owners.

Republican David Jones, meanwhile, said he wants to make housing and other welfare programs accessible to U.S. citizens only, thus deterring “migration from foreign nations to Maine.”

Find the answer each gubernatorial candidate provided below when asked the first thing they would do to improve the state’s housing market if sworn in. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order.