HOUSING AS A CIVIL RIGHT | 4-3
In the New Haven region, it is estimated that 59 percent of families are rent burdened59 with more than 70 percent of low-income families qualifying as rent burdened. The inquiries to the local public housing authority represent families in desperate situations facing rental burdens, many facing eviction or current homelessness. HUD calculates that the housing wage in Connecticut—defined as the amount needed to rent a standard-quality 2-bedroom apartment ($1,295 per month in Connecticut)—is $25 per hour. Connecticut’s housing wage is the 9th highest in the country.60 For low-income families in Connecticut, however, this easily represents more than 50 percent of their monthly income. Approximately 30 percent of all Connecticut renters (140,500 households) are classified as “extremely low income,” and these families pay far more than 50 percent of their income toward housing costs. The ability of the public housing authority to respond to calls and meet the need is limited, however, by the insufficient supply of units and vouchers. Both units and vouchers are in high demand, and the federal government’s production of new public housing units is nonexistent. While federal resources may support the limited investment in the preservation of housing units, there has been no significant expansion in the public housing program since the 1970s. As a result, the development of affordable housing units has not kept pace with the demand.61 Families seeking affordable housing opportunities often find barriers to even get their name placed on wait lists. Most often, wait lists are lengthy, making it unreasonable to continue to add families. At the Elm City Communities/Housing Authority of the City of New Haven (ECC/ HANH), more than 10,000 families are on wait lists. Given the turnover of units or vouchers of about 400 annually, it would take over 25 years to house all of the families currently on the list. Using the 1:4 ratio, the current estimate of need for an agency like New Haven’s, which serves 6,000 families, is likely another 18,000 families. Beyond the public housing and voucher programs, the other major contributor to affordable housing is the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). This federal program, funded through the Internal Revenue Service, offers tax credits to investors to support the development of affordable housing. The credits are issued to developers and investors through each state’s housing finance agency—in Connecticut the program is managed by the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA). Public housing authorities (PHAs) have the ability to serve as developers and have more recently begun to effectively
59
Partnership for Strong Communities. 2015 Housing Data Profiles.
60
Kasulis, 2018.
61
Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies, 2017.