She’s building a home again for herself and her teenage son, Dexter Menyfield. Creating a home no matter the circumstances has always been a point of pride for Austin.
Maybe she’ll put the couch in this corner, perhaps a side table filled with votive candles against that wall, and some photos could look good in this empty space near the kitchen.
Tanya Austin strides from room to room, pointing out where a piece of furniture will go, how she will decorate, and the features of her new apartment that her son will love. She steps into the hall and yanks the door shut, a smile on her face as she demonstrates that she can now unlock her own door with an app on her cellphone.
WSHU’s Ebong Udoma spoke with CT Mirror’s Ginny Monk to discuss her series of articles on eviction in Connecticut as part of the collaborative podcast Long Story Short.
Since early pandemic-era protections against eviction expired, the number of filings has spiked as rents rise, inflation impacts budgets and families continue to struggle to recover financially from the pandemic.