The way forward on housing affordability

Home prices rose almost 24 percent between 2020 and 2022 in Fairfield County, the biggest jump in more than three decades. Rents jumped 15 percent over the same period, rising far faster than incomes. Amid this historic housing market shift, new state bills to create more homes have been all over the news.

But the actions with the biggest impact on housing in your community this year will likely take place at the local level, as towns and many Councils of Government prepare local affordable housing plans ahead of the July 1 state deadline.

Through these plans, towns and COGs have the opportunity to proactively shape their own housing futures by outlining how they'll meet the housing needs of existing and new residents and businesses. By detailing what sort of housing options towns will make available moving forward, these plans will help determine whether our communities thrive or merely survive.

This is especially true within the 18 Fairfield County towns represented by the Western Connecticut Council of Governments, or WestCOG. Fairfield County currently lacks 25,000 homes affordable to residents of modest means, the largest such gap of any Connecticut county. The county also saw more than 26,000 calls to 211 by households experiencing a housing crisis over the last 12 months, with 367 households entering the shelter system so far this year and another 4,715 households facing eviction today.

And this is not just a concern for those facing eviction: during recent remarks in Danbury, Gov. Lamont highlighted the high cost of housing as the biggest issue preventing both industry and young families from moving to Connecticut.

To assist towns in the planning process, the Connecticut Department of Housing published a “how-to” guidebook in 2020 that details the process for creating an affordable housing plan. Developed with Regional Plan Association, it's full of best practices and recommendations on what towns should include in their plans, including a community values statement, a community engagement plan, a housing needs assessment, a land use and zoning assessment, housing market considerations, and of course a set of goals and actions.

DOH also teamed up with the Department of Social Services to fund a statewide housing needs assessment in 2021, developed by Urban Institute and Fairfield County's Center for Housing Opportunity, that identifies the amount of housing different regions need to keep up with population and demographic trends. Fairfield County's Community

Foundation also commissioned a housing needs assessment for the county's 23 towns detailing how much housing each needs at every income level.

Despite access to these tools, best practices, and data, WestCOG's draft affordable housing plan released earlier this year does not set any targets for the production or preservation of affordable homes, or identify the region's housing gap. It was created without meaningful public input from those facing housing challenges, it recommends no concrete actions to advance affordability, and shows no genuine interest in addressing the challenges facing renters in the region.

Instead, as the Hearst Connecticut Editorial Board wrote, it reads like a justification to support the status quo and merely check the box on meeting the state's statutory requirement to create an affordable housing plan. (After the editorial was published, the plan was removed from WestCOG's website.)

The planning process should be so much more than a box-checking exercise. “Rather than an obstacle to be surmounted, the planning process is a chance to bring people together,” says DOH's guidebook. It's an opportunity to measure housing needs, then identify actions to meet those needs. While the WestCOG plan includes data, it fails to use that data to set specific housing targets for the region, or even to suggest that towns set their own. This is a missed opportunity.

During a recent public hearing on a state bill that would have allowed for more homes near transit stations, WestCOG insisted state housing mandates were unnecessary because the COG was already doing the work. If this plan is “the work,” it's not enough. Not even close.

Thankfully, many WestCOG member towns like Danbury, Stamford, Norwalk, Bethel, Ridgefield, Wilton, Darien and others are already creating meaningful plans to address their affordability issues, going far beyond the WestCOG guidance and meriting recognition and support.

Fairfield County towns have a chance to advance affordability at the local level through these plans. Champions of local control, here is your opportunity. We encourage towns to reject WestCOG's plan and instead share your vision for addressing affordability and equity through community-informed, data-driven solutions and best practices.

Christie Stewart is the Director of Fairfield County’s Center for Housing Opportunity, a strategic partnership between Fairfield County’s Community Foundation, The Housing Collective, Partnership for Strong Communities, and Regional Plan Association.