Connecticut has a housing crisis on its hands, officials said this week, but there are things residents can do to advocate for affordable housing.

Representatives from Hartford-based Open Communities Alliance, a civil-rights organization, released two reports Wednesday outlining how local citizens can work with town and state officials to attract and retain residents in their communities.

They also discussed how local officials can utilize existing infrastructure — sewer and septic systems — to help meet the state’s affordable housing needs.

The reports — titled Creating Affordability: A Guide for Local Zoning Advocates and Pipeline to Prosperity: What Local Affordable Housing Advocates Need to Know About Sewer and Septic Infrastructure — are now available to the public.

Hugh Bailey, Open Community’s policy director, encouraged those attending a video conference Wednesday to work with local officials, such as town planners, to get more information.

Bailey said local zoning decisions are made by a small group of people in a local process, but the public can be effective in swaying people to create change.

“It is something that is attainable,” Bailey said. “Keep in mind we can complain about local control in all sorts of ways, but there are some benefits to it.”

Housing Advocates Tell Public To Get Involved In Local Zoning, Julie Martin Banks, CT News Junkie, May 8, 2025, available here