Federal legislation aimed at spurring more housing construction, including in Connecticut's Fairfield County, awaits President Donald Trump's approval, after the president reneged on plans to sign it Wednesday.

U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, who represents southwestern Connecticut, introduced several provisions in the bill and described it this week as a productive step toward creating more housing in his district and elsewhere.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-CT, and housing advocates urged passage Monday of a bipartisan housing bill the senator said has been years in the making that will begin to address the housing crisis facing Connecticut and the nation at large.

Blumenthal was joined by Bobbi Riddick, community impact manager for the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness (CCEH) and Erin Boggs, executive director of Open Communities Alliance, at the MLK Apartments in Hartford’s South End to advocate for final passage of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. The bill, which passed the House earlier this year, is scheduled for a vote in the Senate this week.

Connecticut families who rely on state and federal housing vouchers to pay their rents are often forced to live in racially and socioeconomically segregated communities, according to a new study on the voucher programs’ flaws.

The federal Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCV), also known as Section 8, and the state’s Rental Assistance Program (RAP), have long histories of leaving recipients in racially segregated urban areas.

Civil rights organization Open Communities Alliance (OCA) recently released the report after about a year of research, according to OCA Executive Director Erin Boggs.

Last year ended with Gov. Ned Lamont signing a major housing bill into law, and advocates say they will now be closely watching the implementation of that measure.

But they also want state lawmakers to turn — or return — to other housing-related proposals during their upcoming 13-week legislative session.

...

While advocates aren’t expecting another piece of far-reaching legislation to be enacted this year, they think the General Assembly could pass narrower measures aimed at the state’s housing shortage as well as issues between tenants and landlords.

Erin Boggs, executive director of Open Communities Alliance, began researching for the group's signature "Fair Share" housing proposal in 2014.

Peter Harrison, Connecticut director of the Regional Plan Association, has been advocating for transit-oriented development in the state for about five years and has pushed a specific "Work, Live, Ride" concept for the past three.

House Majority Leader Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford, has made housing his signature issue in one legislative session after another, negotiating with colleagues who often required significant convincing.

There is nothing simple about the recently signed HB 8002, which takes a more ambitious approach to housing policy than Connecticut has seen in years, or maybe ever. It has an expansive time horizon, many moving parts, and all kinds of different options. It will be a long time before we understand its full implications.

Connecticut’s state legislature last Wednesday passed a sweeping housing bill, HB 8002, in special session.

The bill aims to incentivize and accelerate housing development in cities and towns across Connecticut — including New Haven. Gov. Ned Lamont SOM ’80, who vetoed an earlier version of the bill in June, plans to sign the bill soon, he said in a press release.

A more than 100-page housing bill awaits Governor Lamont’s signature after passing during a special session last week.

Some opponents of the major bill are taking action and are pushing for the governor to veto the legislation.

You might remember Governor Lamont denied a previous housing bill. But in a statement, he promised to sign this revised one.

Dear Gov. Ned Lamont:

We listened closely when you announced a veto of HB 5002, the omnibus housing bill, in June. We heard you say that you’d like a revised version of the bill on your desk following a special session this year. We understand there was some loud opposition to HB 5002, which may have played a part in your decision. But the calls from supporters urging that the bill be signed were just as loud.

Gov. Ned Lamont, state and federal lawmakers and housing advocates stand together to denounce President Donald Trump’s executive order directing states to remove people from the streets, possibly by committing them for mental health or drug treatment without their consent.

But unity is absent due to continued friction after the governor vetoed Democrats’ bill intended to create more housing and ease the affordability crisis and shortage facing the state.