Housing Affordability Weighs On Young Connecticut Voters

For young voters in Connecticut, housing affordability has emerged as a major concern ahead of the November gubernatorial election.

Janiya Mercado, 18, a retail employee from Bridgeport, said her family pays about $1,400 in rent. Her grandmother owns the property, but Mercado said rising tax costs have contributed to higher expenses and a financial burden on her family.

“My mom works at two hospitals, but since the mortgage is going up for my grandma, the rent is also going up a little bit, but she tries to bring it down as much as she can,” Mercado said.

Janiya Mercado sits in her workplace, Exotic Snack Guys, in Connecticut Post Mall in Milford. Credit: Brianna Wallen / CT Community News

Mercado is among the two-thirds of young voters who will be prioritizing housing concerns this election, according to a recent poll conducted by Sacred Heart University, WFSB and CT Insider.

The August poll found that 67.3% of voters ages 18 to 34 ranked housing costs as one of their top issues.

The poll also found that 71.8% of voters of all ages said their household housing costs increased during the past year.

For young voters, the issue is about more than the cost of rent. Many are concerned about whether they can save money, move out after college or eventually purchase a home.

“I noticed that my generation has had trouble affording housing right now,” Kerwnny Jerome, a Southern Connecticut State University student, said.

18-year-old Jerome currently commutes from her parents’ house in Derby to save money for life after college.

“My biggest concern right now is not being able to save up and afford to move out after graduation,” Jerome said.

Jahaira Pacheco, 24, a Gateway Community College student from West Haven, said her family is currently experiencing cost pressures. Her parents saved for about 15 years before purchasing their home in 2024.

Jahaira Pacheco, a Gateway Community College Student, stands in her workplace in Connecticut Post Mall in Milford. Credit: Brianna Wallen / CT Community News

Pacheco said their property taxes increased after the house was revalued following renovations and a new school in town.

“Near my house, an elementary school opened up, and that’s when the taxes rose a lot, of roughly about $1,000 more than what we usually paid,” Pacheco said.

Pacheco said rising costs make homeownership seem less achievable for her in the future.

“There’s going to be a time where it’s not going to be affordable anymore for a person in the middle class to be able to cover all that,” Pacheco said. “The salaries are not going to be enough if the prices keep going up.”

Jonathan Wharton, a professor of political science and urban affairs at Southern Connecticut State University, said Connecticut’s gubernatorial candidates have different approaches when it comes to tackling affordable housing.

Gov. Ned Lamont and Republican challenger Ryan Fazio presented their proposals at the 2026 Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce Gubernatorial Forum, which Wharton attended on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

“Fazio was a little more specific about his proposals in terms of property taxes and cost of living, whereas Lamont was speaking more in terms of transit-oriented development and building new housing near train stations, and how you want to see more of that, especially in the cities,” Wharton said.

Both candidates list housing costs as a policy priority on their campaign websites. In addition to transit-oriented development, Lamont lists supporting workforce and middle-income housing, revitalizing downtowns and underused properties, and working with communities to meet housing needs responsibly as the basis of his approach.

Fazio says he will reduce and cap property taxes, streamline building codes and eliminate licensing fees to reduce the cost of building new housing, and scrap Connecticut’s affordable housing statutes to increase local control.

New Haven food service worker Cameron Brown, 20, said housing opportunities are important to him when considering the gubernatorial candidates.

“I’m leaning toward Ned Lamont because some of the issues he’s focused on, especially affordability and housing, are things that matter to me,” Brown said.

Cameron Brown, a food service worker, stands near the Yale Bookstore in New Haven. Credit: Brianna Wallen / CT Community News

Wharton said housing affordability is a complicated issue that cannot be addressed through a single policy or solution.

“A top-five issue is cost of living and some of the housing costs, and they’re almost interchangeable,” Wharton said. “It’s not just going to be one thing that has to solve it.”

For young people like Jerome, the issue stands as a personal concern as they look toward being able to move out on their own one day.

“I hope that candidates understand that young people are still trying to afford housing,” Jerome said.