A group of top-ranking state lawmakers are eyeing a series of legislative fixes following a Hearst Connecticut Media Group investigation which found many low-income residents who received government subsidies to help them afford rent were ultimately unable to use the aid.

The proposals include lifting onerous restrictions on where affordable housing vouchers can be used, creating a centralized waiting list to simplify the application process and requiring agencies to post online how much vouchers are worth and rules around their use.

Other ideas call for getting landlords who accept vouchers paid faster and improving landlord confidence in the program so more are willing to participate.

State Rep. Geoff Luxenberg, the co-chairman of the Housing Committee, said the situation is dire.

“It is a deeply, deeply broken system,” said Luxenberg, D-Manchester, about one of the largest affordable housing programs for Connecticut residents. “It is one of my top priorities to see if we can fix what I view as a broken system in some really pragmatic and meaningful ways. I want to give it my best shot.”

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Advocates said voucher recipients struggling to find a place to live don’t have time for studies.

“These things can be done without a study. Studies often are used to just kick the can down the road,” said Erin Boggs, the executive director of the Open Communities Alliance.

CT lawmakers eye fixes for ‘deeply broken’ affordable housing voucher system, Jacqueline Rabe Thomas, CT Insider, February 18, 2023, available here