National Grant Will Support Affordable Housing Development In Southern Connecticut

by Jamil Ragland

(UPDATED 3:50 p.m.) HARTFORD, CT – As the state’s affordable housing crisis deepens, a local nonprofit is set to receive significant financial support from a national organization dedicated to increasing affordable housing options.
Connecticut Housing Partners (CHP), a nonprofit organization based in Trumbull, will receive part of $75.7 million being distributed by NeighborWorks America. The money is being distributed among nearly 250 nonprofits across the country, and will support CHP’s real estate development team, which creates affordable housing in the state.
“We are excited about these grant awards and honored to collaborate with NeighborWorks America,” said Renée Dobos, president, and CEO of Connecticut Housing Partners. “This funding is critical in providing our team with the support, training, and technology needed as we do the work to address Connecticut’s housing shortage.”

Connecticut Housing Partners has been a chartered member of the NeighborWorks America network since 1994. They will be receiving $197,000 that will be used to leverage other funds to continue their mission of building affordable housing, Dobos said. 
Affordable housing is defined as housing where tenants spend 30% or less of their income on housing costs.
CHP has developed or acquired several affordable housing projects in Connecticut over the last 30 years, and has supported housing options ranging from homeownership and traditional rentals to senior and supportive housing. Its efforts are primarily focused in southern Connecticut and its properties can be found in Bridgeport, Trumbull, Stamford, and Wilton. 

The partnership with NeighborWorks, a nonprofit with network partners in every state, provides more than grant funding. As part of its mission to support affordable housing development across the nation, NeighborWorks also provides technical assistance, evaluation tools, and training for housing and community development professionals. 
“This over $75.7 million investment across nearly 250 nonprofits reflects our unwavering commitment to making communities stronger. Together with the NeighborWorks network, we are working to make  affordable, safe, and resilient communities,” said Marietta Rodriguez, President & CEO of NeighborWorks America, in a statement.
According to the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, the state has several constraints that make it difficult to locate affordable housing for residents. Between 2016 and 2021, the state saw a more than 3% increase in the number of new households. Then the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, driving more residents to seek single-family homes. By May 2023, 5,900 homes across the state were listed for sale, which represents only 30% of the number of homes listed in May 2019. Home prices responded accordingly, jumping by 32% from a median of $234,500 in 2019 to $310,000 in 2022.

These increases in price have put home ownership, and in some cases even renting, out of reach for some families. In particular, extremely low-income households are facing dire situations when searching for housing. Data from the National Low Income Housing Coalition shows that Connecticut is falling short by almost 100,000 units for extremely low-income residents. Almost 150,000 renter households, or 31% of all renter households, qualify as extremely low income.
Legislative efforts to incentivize new affordable housing in the state fell short during the last legislative session. House Bill 5390, known as the “Work, Live, Ride” bill, would have provided incentives for municipalities to construct new housing near existing public transportation hubs.
The bill was controversial, however, as it would have allowed qualifying development projects to skip the public comment phase of new development approval and move straight to construction. The bill cleared the House, but died in the Senate without receiving a vote.