In an effort to address 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 housing crisis, Gov. Ned Lamont is proposing three new bills and calling for billions of dollars to assist with the state鈥檚 housing needs.
Lamont requested more than $1 billion to go toward housing needs in his .
Along with the funding, Lamont is pushing for three housing-related bills in the 黑料吃瓜网 legislature to tackle issues of housing policy.
One of the bills proposed by Lamont, a Democrat, would remove 鈥渟pecific local barriers to housing development.鈥�
The would offer cities and towns 鈥渁n easier path to a moratorium鈥� under the state鈥檚 affordable housing appeals law. That law allows developers to challenge a town if it rejects an affordable housing project, .
But Sean Ghio, policy director with the housing advocacy nonprofit Partnership for Strong Communities, said that鈥檚 a potentially damaging trade-off.
鈥淥ne of our concerns is trading away part of our state's affordable housing appeals law for promises, or in this case, zoning changes,鈥� Ghio said. 鈥淧eople don't live in zoning changes. People don't live in plants, people live in homes.鈥�
The two additional housing bills would make rental and property purchasing costs more transparent and create plans to develop housing in areas less at-risk for climate change impacts.
Lamont鈥檚 funding requests approach those of housing advocates, and include a recommended $5 million annually for eviction prevention and emergency homeless services. An additional $800 million is budgeted for state programs that rehabilitate and establish more affordable housing and homeownership opportunities in the state.
The governor鈥檚 funding places an emphasis on vulnerable communities, including elderly and families with young children. However, much of that funding is recommended for the 2027 fiscal year, a move Ghio said shouldn鈥檛 wait.
鈥淚t's hard to rent a home, and we know we have so many families and other vulnerable renters on the edge of homelessness or experiencing homelessness,鈥� Ghio said. 鈥淣ow there's really no reason to delay that increased funding.鈥�
The proposed budget meets the legislature on their funding requests, more than any Lamont鈥檚 previously put forward, according to Bill Welz, with the government relations firm Gallo & Robinson.
鈥淭he governor did a solid job on producing a budget that gets closer on a lot of core issues that a lot of folks on this call have been lobbying for years,鈥� Welz said.
In , Lamont said the state will support at-risk communities where support from the federal government is dwindling.
鈥淭he feds are pulling back on rent support, and at the same time strong demand and little inventory are driving up housing prices, and rents, and homelessness,鈥� Lamont said.
Much of the state鈥檚 recent housing development focused on transit-oriented regions, which is a big topic of discussion during the current legislative session. The trend is expected to continue, pushing for a more walk-, rail- and bike-friendly state, Lamont said.
鈥淭ransit-oriented housing is being built big time in the [Naugatuck] Valley, thanks to more frequent rail service on the Waterbury Line, and along the New Britain Fastrak, and in New London, which is booming faster than any time since the heyday of whaling,鈥� Lamont said.
