HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) – All week, the I-Team has been reporting on Connecticut’s housing crisis, in our Impossible Dream series.

Thousands of people in Connecticut say they simply can’t find affordable housing. Does the State have solutions?

While showing us around his apartment, Stephen Bennett pointed out the obvious.

“This closet is actually full of cases of CDs that can’t fit in here. I have a little music problem,” Bennett says. This music problem wasn’t much of an issue when Bennett had his three-bedroom, two-bathroom home.

It’s a little tighter in her two-bedroom apartment these days.

“It’s frustrating because at this point in my life, I didn’t think I would have to start from scratch,” Bennett says.

The 50-year-old fell ill in 2020 and, two years later, sold his house to keep his business afloat.

He sold the house for $250,000. It is worth 343,000 today.

“I loved my house, I put things in it. But it’s not a $300,000-something house now. They haven’t done anything to it since they bought it,” Bennett says. “Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ll ever own a house again. It’s not realistic.

Many, like Bennett, believe that homeownership, and even reasonable rent, is out of reach in Connecticut.

SOLUTIONS:

While the national economy is considered, state lawmakers say we need to start creating solutions at the local level.

Many housing advocates told us that one of the biggest barriers to building affordable housing is local zoning restrictions, and suggest that the state should make it easier for people to create housing.

“A lot of it has to do with zoning and conversations with cities and saying there’s a way to keep control over what you want to do, but you also have to do something,” says the rep. Eleni Kavros DeGraw (D) Avon.

She is co-chair of the state Planning and Development Committee, which oversees zoning regulations.

She says she has some ideas on how to accomplish that, which she will present during the 2025 legislative session.

“I have an idea for what we call a housing growth menu. We’re actually trying to figure out what might be a good incentive for that.”

In Connecticut, in 91% of the state, all you need to get permission to build a single-family home is to apply for a building permit.

Kavros DeGraw’s housing growth menu would offer several multifamily housing options like duplexes or triplexes, where cities would decide what they want to build for an as-yet-unidentified incentive.

“We’re trying to give cities the capacity and flexibility to provide what they need,” says Kavros DeGraw.

She said there should also be discussion about simplifying the permitting process to build multi-family housing.

“I know builders, developers and even cities would appreciate a less onerous process and I think it would allow us to speed up construction,” Kavros DeGraw said.

Rep. Joseph Zullo of (R) East Haven is a ranking member of the Planning and Development Committee along with Rep. Kavros DeGraw.

He is also part of the housing committee.

“Do I think we absolutely need better incentives for housing development,” says Rep. Zullo. “I think there are a variety of ways to address this shortage.”

He says he strongly believes cities and towns should have control and doesn’t think simply revising the state’s zoning regulations will help, he says the state needs to change the way it approaches the accommodation.

“Frankly, we need to start taking the money that often goes to big developers and putting it in the hands of small businesses, entrepreneurs, minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, people who are going to take this money and who are not. they’re necessarily going to build a 60-unit complex, but they’re going to form two families, convert something, create more opportunities,” says Rep. Zullo.

He also believes the state needs to start paying more attention to tenants and landlords who aren’t holding up their end of the bargain.

“We have a number of housing units across the state that are offline due to code violations or other violations – this housing stock we can use right now with very little recourse without taxing a lot of resources. We need to dig deeper into this,” says Rep. Zullo.

RENTAL CYCLE:

“I really think part of the housing problem that we have in the state of CT is that too many people are subject to the whims of the economy, the national economy and that’s because they are stuck in a perpetual rental cycle,” says Rep. Zullo. “One of the things I’ve been trying to do is pass legislation that would allow, but not require, cities to provide a $500 tax abatement for up to 5 years for first-time homebuyers. house with a loan from the CT Housing and Finance Authority.”

Rep. Zullo’s tax credit legislation was something Rep. Kavros DeGraw supported. It passed the House unanimously twice, but was introduced by the Senate two years in a row.

House Majority Leader Jason Rojas (D) East Hartford says all of these ideas are good, but the state needs to find solutions more quickly.

“I think if we create more units where people can own them, we will become a better state,” Rep. Rojas says. “The state should be more assertive in using the authority and power we have to move this forward, yes. »

He helped create the Majority Leaders Roundtable on Affordable Housing which made dozens of recommendations.

“We have a lot of little ideas, additional resources for our councils of government to provide technical assistance to small towns,” says Rep. Rojas. “How can we find more money for sewer and water infrastructure that will allow for higher density developments, because that is also a barrier?” »

Stephen Bennett says: just understand. “I pay my rent over $200 more than my mortgage and it makes no sense. I would love to see this happen where homeownership is an American dream for many people.

This is not the end of our Impossible Dream series. We will continue to address this important issue. If you have housing issues you would like us to investigate, you can email [email protected].

HOW TO WATCH THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM SERIES:

First part: On Monday, we looked at why many are unable to find affordable housing and what financial resources are available.

Second part: On Tuesday, we looked at home prices, wondering why they keep rising and what’s stopping construction.

Third part: On Wednesday, we explored the role of local zoning laws in the crisis.

Part four: On Thursday we looked at affordable housing laws, including 8-30g.

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