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Hartford mayor tackles housing, looks to increase homeownership without down payments

FILE: Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam (left) and East Hartford Mayor Connor Martin meet on the Founders Bridge on October 31, 2024.
Mark Mirko
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窪蹋勛圖厙
FILE: Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam (left) and East Hartford Mayor Connor Martin meet on the Founders Bridge on October 31, 2024.

Hartford city employees may soon be able to purchase a home in the city without a down payment.

Eligible employees may in the form of a forgivable loan to support down payment costs, Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam announced Monday.

Because if you teach our kids, if you keep our streets safe, if you run into burning buildings to keep people safe, you deserve to be able to afford a home in this city, and we're going to help you do it, Arulampalam said.

To combat the rising cost of homeownership, Arulampalam is looking to boost the employee homebuyer assistance program, which began in 2023 and provides a forgivable loan of up to $10,000 toward a down payment.

The proposal comes as current home prices in Hartford rose more than 17% compared to October 2023, Arulampalam said.

Police, fire and public school workers would all be eligible for the program, funded using $1.25 million in previously appropriated COVID-19 relief money.

Former Mayor Luke Bronin initiated the forgivable loan program in late 2023, with hopes for Arulampalam to continue the homeownership opportunity.

As interest rates have gone up, and the cost of buying a home is harder for most families to bear, this little extra help we understand it may not be enough for everybody but maybe it'll make the difference for some, Bronin said at the time.

Hartford has one of the lowest home ownership rates in the state, at about 23%, Arulampalam said.

The roots of our housing affordability crisis come from decades of disinvestment, Arulampalam said. Hartford families are locked out of pathways to generational wealth creation that families all around us and surrounding communities have had access to for decades. But we are going to change that.

The mayors proposal will still need to be approved .

Expansion of the employee homeownership program was announced Monday as part of Arulampalams state of the city address and .

Arulampalam touted a $6.5 million investment in housing construction and homeownership programs over the last year.

In the upcoming fiscal year, the city will continue to crack down on absentee landlords and increase proactive work with landlords, Arulampalam said. The city formed a housing task force aimed at addressing neglectful landlords last year.

Housing in the city of Hartford isn't just about owning a home, it's about being able to afford to rent an apartment and having that apartment be clean and safe and provide you with a sense of peace of mind, Arulampalam said. I'm working with the council to make sure that renters insurance is more accessible and affordable to all Hartford residents in the year ahead.

Housing affordability was a featured issue in Gov. Ned Lamonts proposed budget as well, with a focus on making up for housing social services where the federal government is drawing back.

The 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, Lamont said.

Arunan Arulampalam's father-in-law is Gregory B. Butler, who is a member of the Board of Trustees of 窪蹋勛圖厙.

Abigail is 窪蹋勛圖厙's housing reporter, covering statewide housing developments and issues, with an emphasis on Fairfield County communities. She received her master's from Columbia University in 2020 and graduated from the University of 窪蹋勛圖厙 in 2019. Abigail previously covered statewide transportation and the city of Norwalk for Hearst 窪蹋勛圖厙 Media. She loves all things Disney and cats.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from 窪蹋勛圖厙, the states local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de 窪蹋勛圖厙, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programaci籀n que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para m獺s reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscr穩base a nuestro bolet穩n informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

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If that matters to you, now is the time to give. Join the 50,000+ members powering honest reporting and a more connected and civil! 窪蹋勛圖厙.

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