Policy proposals and debate about the availability and affordability of buying a home or renting, which along with zoning are controversial issues at the state and local level in Connecticut, are getting new national recognition in this year’s presidential campaign.

Both of the major party tickets have discussed it to varying degrees as voters across the U.S. struggle with costs associated with housing, utilities and groceries. Renters in Connecticut spend about a third of their income on rent, a Consumer Affairs report found. And house prices in the state were up nearly 10% year-over-year in the first few months of 2024 as housing stock remained low.

For groups in Connecticut focused on housing policy, it is encouraging to see it in the spotlight, though they believe some issues remain unaddressed in the candidates’ platforms like homelessness, rent caps and tenants’ rights. Others want housing prioritized locally with the federal government directing attention to other economic issues.

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“It’s very exciting that housing has been such a focus of discussion in the campaign,” said Erin Boggs, executive director of the Open Communities Alliance in Connecticut. “I have not seen this before at such a level, and I think it reflects the deep need for housing that we’re seeing all across the country.”

Hugh Bailey, policy director at Open Communities Alliance, said the national discussion will likely help fuel state-level efforts to reform zoning.

Housing issues, long-debated in CT, get new focus in U.S. election, Ginny Monk and Lisa Hagen, CT Mirror, October 15, 2024, available here