Solving the housing crisis in Connecticut is one of the biggest challenges we've had year after year, and now both market rate and affordable housing options are very much in short supply.

Connecticut, in fact, was recently on a list of the tightest real estate markets in the whole country.

So how do we address that? NBC Connecticut's Mike Hydeck spoke with Erin Boggs, the executive director of Open Communities Alliance.

As the legislative session moves into high gear, Connecticut’s housing crisis continues to be top of mind.

Lawmakers are considering a variety of bills aimed at increasing supply, which is a prerequisite for bringing prices down. Many of these proposals have been modified from previous years based on feedback from supporters and skeptics.

Unfortunately, the rhetoric from opponents has stayed the same. People who favor doing nothing have been so successful in recent years that they may think running out the same tired arguments is enough to find success yet again. Lawmakers need to ensure that isn’t the case.

Following a marathon meeting Thursday lasting more than 12 hours, the Connecticut legislature's Housing Committee advanced several dozen bills on subjects ranging from tenant protections to zoning reform.

Many of the most significant proposals advanced largely along party lines, with Democrats supporting them and Republicans opposing them. Most now head to the broader legislature, which has until early June to pass them into law.

Across Connecticut, households are finding basic needs unaffordable — especially housing. In the face of this reality, Ridgefield is seriously considering a zoning moratorium, which would ban nearly all multifamily housing throughout the town for a year or more.

There are a few key facts to keep in mind when considering this proposal. First, no matter what the town Planning & Zoning Commission decides, the town can’t simply nullify state and federal laws. The much-discussed 8-30g statute, which allows affordable housing to be built in towns where it is in short supply, would still be in effect, as would federal fair housing statutes.

Church Street Commons in Hebron will have dozens of apartments at different rates.

The housing will be on land owned by St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. Kolanowski is the rector, but most just call him Father Ron.

“We own all this land on this side of the street,” Kolanowski said. “How are we using this huge resource for mission and ministry? What is God calling us to do, to actually use this?”

The land is located close enough to Hebron’s town center to utilize the limited municipal sewer system. It’s a town where many homes rely on well water.

Hundreds of people testified Tuesday on a slew of bills aimed at protecting Connecticut tenants, including measures to reform eviction law and others that would limit how much landlords can charge for a security deposit and what crimes can be considered when renters apply to live in an apartment.

Tuesday’s public hearing put two of the Housing Committee’s most politically difficult subject areas on display: zoning and landlord-tenant relationships.

Gov. Ned Lamont’s biennial budget address on Wednesday sparked mixed reactions, with housing policy advocates like Open Communities Alliance (OCA) offering both recognition and suggestions for moving forward.

OCA, a Hartford-based nonprofit focused on advancing housing opportunities across Connecticut, commended Lamont for prioritizing the housing crisis, a major concern for residents statewide.

“We will continue investing $400 million per year in housing – workforce, affordable, supportive, and multi-family,” Lamont stated. “People want to live in Connecticut, and the only thing holding us back is a lack of housing. Last year, we built 70% more homes than eight years ago, and we will keep expanding our Time to Own program, which has already helped over 5,000 first-time homeowners – from Stafford Springs to Danbury – build wealth and invest in their communities.”

A proposed bill that would require Connecticut cities and towns to plan and zone for a set number of new housing units is gaining traction in Hartford.

The “Towns Take the Lead” bill is one of several proposed this legislative session by Growing Together Connecticut, a consortium of over 45 organizations working to break down barriers to affordable housing.

Advocates and key lawmakers said Monday they want to see towns plan and zone for a set number of new housing units — a policy that would be enforced by the state government — as one of several measures meant to make sure families can afford a place to live.

The proposal, which resembles sections of a fair share plan proposed in the past, was part of the legislative agenda shared by Growing Together Connecticut, a consortium of advocates and religious groups, during a press conference in Hartford.

Connecticut has the most constrained housing supply in the nation, with only about a 7% vacancy rate despite a demand for more, and the state needs at least 110,000 more units to meet the need, researchers told lawmakers on Thursday.

Researchers from consulting firm ECOnorthwest presented an early draft of their findings about Connecticut’s housing need to key lawmakers on the Housing and Planning and Development committees on Thursday. The presentation was done in response to a law passed in 2023 that mandated a statewide study on a fair share zoning policy.