State Makes Significant Progress in Expanding Access to Quality, Affordable Housing
HARTFORD, CT – January 11, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Governor Dannel P. Malloy today joined Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH) Commissioner Evonne M. Klein to highlight the strides Connecticut made in 2015 to expand access to quality, affordable housing and reduce homelessness. Last year marked an extraordinary year for housing creation in Connecticut, with the state helping to create, rehabilitate, and preserve 11,881 total housing units statewide. Since the beginning of the Malloy administration in 2011, the state has provided funding to build 17,897 housing units across Connecticut.
“Housing is key to economic growth, and that’s why we’re taking steps like never before. We’ve done more on housing in the past few years than we’ve done in the past few decades, and in 2015, we continued to make significant strides. Every resident of Connecticut should have access to quality, safe, and affordable housing,” Governor Malloy said. “The availability of affordable housing is an economic driver that attracts business and jobs, and makes communities more vibrant places to live, work, and raise a family. As we continue to build new housing, we’ve made significant strides on solving homelessness. This is no doubt a record to be proud of.”
“Governor Malloy has been a strong champion for affordable housing development and ending homelessness,” Commissioner Klein said. “The Governor is putting individuals and families first by expanding access to affordable housing, creating smart solutions to solving homelessness, and working to ensure that all of our communities have an adequate supply of housing choices. In 2016, we will continue to work with providers and local communities to increase the supply of affordable housing.”
Since 2011, utilizing a one billion dollar investment in affordable housing, the state has created, preserved, or rehabilitated 7,551 affordable units, and 2,570 are currently under construction. Funding commitments are in place to create another 5,730 affordable units.
Breakdown of Connecticut housing units:
These steps on housing come as the state is making extraordinary strides in solving homelessness. A 2015 report from the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness found that Connecticut last year had the lowest population of homelessness in a point-in-time count ever, which included a 32 percent decrease in unsheltered homelessness over the year and a 21 percent decrease in chronic homelessness.
In August 2015, Connecticut made history when it was designated by the federal government as being the first state in the nation to end chronic veteran homelessness. The designation meant that all known veterans experiencing chronic homelessness were either housed or were on an immediate path to permanent housing, and that the state is able to rapidly place any veteran who newly experiences chronic homelessness on the path to permanent housing. Chronic homelessness is defined as an individual with a disability who has been homeless for a period of at least one year or has experienced four separate episodes of homelessness in the past three years.
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