Connecticut must establish a right to housing
One of the local Housing Authority offices, which are involved in providing housing.
As a college student in New Haven, where one in four people live below the poverty line, I’m privy to Connecticut’s failure to enact fully effective housing policy every day. Never was this clearer than when I planned a picnic on the Green upon arriving in New Haven. Though Connecticut is often cited as a shining example of addressing homelessness, my first trip to the New Haven Green shattered that naive confidence.
Senate Bill 194, “An Act Establishing a Right to Housing,” is a necessary step towards making homelessness an idea of the past. It commits the state to a standard of welfare that all residents of Connecticut deserve and charters course towards a clear goal: ending housing insecurity. The bill was adopted by the State Senate but was not approved by the State House before the session ended. This is a clear failure by the Connecticut state legislature and the bill must be adopted during the next session.