Partnership for Strong Communities

09/03/2026

We’re excited to welcome New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker to Homes That Heal: The Impact of Supportive Housing for opening remarks!

As we come together to explore the impact of supportive housing across Connecticut, Mayor Elicker will help kick off an important conversation about how supportive housing strengthens communities and creates pathways to stability. The Housing Collective will also offer closing remarks, helping us wrap up an important day of conversation and reflection.

📅 Monday, September 14, 2026
📍 Albertus Magnus College, New Haven
📍 Behan Community Room, Hubert Campus Center
🚗 Enter at Gate 4 on 80 Goodrich Street for free on-site parking

The iForum will feature the release of our new report, Homes That Heal: The State of Supportive Housing in Connecticut, along with presentations and panel discussions with leaders from across the supportive housing field.

Join us! Register today: https://heyor.ca/vmyPm2

09/02/2026

We’re grateful to Liberty Bank for their continued investment in the Partnership for Strong Communities and our work to advance housing opportunity across Connecticut.

Support from partners like Liberty Bank helps make our research, advocacy, and efforts to create a more affordable and equitable housing landscape possible.

Thank you, Liberty Bank, for continuing to stand with us and for believing in the importance of a strong, stable home for everyone. 🏠

09/01/2026

🏠 Free registration is OPEN for CAHC 2026!

Join us virtually November 16–17 for the Connecticut Affordable Housing Conference, bringing together advocates, policymakers, housing and service providers, lenders, funders, and community members for two days of conversation, collaboration, and strategies to advance housing affordability, creation, choice, and stability across Connecticut.

We’ll wrap up the conference with an in-person reception at the Lyceum in Hartford on November 17 from 5:30–7:30 PM.

Speaker and session details are coming soon. Register today and join us!

https://heyor.ca/XeLYKJ

08/28/2026

Meet Partnership intern Christopher Albuquerque Ferreira!

Christopher is pursuing his studies in Psychology and Anthropology/Sociology. This summer, he is researching how accessible rental listings on Zillow are to households using housing vouchers, examining how listing characteristics can shape the inclusion or exclusion of voucher holders in the rental market.

For Christopher, housing is a fundamental human right and a foundation for every aspect of life. Through his research, he hopes to bring greater clarity to the inequities that shape access to housing and help inform policies that create a more fair and accessible rental market.

08/26/2026

Housing costs are rising for Connecticut households, and a new poll offers insight into what voters want the next governor to prioritize.

Nearly 72% of registered voters said their household housing costs increased over the past year, according to a new Sacred Heart University/WFSB/CT Insider poll.

One finding that stands out: just 7.2% of voters said preserving local control over housing development decisions should be the next governor’s top housing priority.

Reducing property taxes and other housing-related costs ranked first at 39.2%, followed by increasing the supply of affordable housing at 18.4%.

As Connecticut heads toward the gubernatorial election, what voters say about housing priorities matters.

Learn more: https://heyor.ca/f5i7r2

A new Sacred Heart University poll finds housing affordability is a major concern for Connecticut voters, with most reporting rising costs.

08/25/2026

Who is supportive housing for? The answer is broader than you might think.

At our upcoming iForum, Homes That Heal: The Impact of Supportive Housing, we’ll explore the wide range of supportive housing programs across Connecticut and the many populations they serve.

Join moderator Chelsea Ross and panelists:
> Steve DiLella, CT Department of Housing
> Amber Freeman, Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness
> Phylicia Adams, Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments
for “Supportive Housing: Who Is It For?” The conversation will highlight different supportive housing models, the people they serve, and the role these programs play in creating stability.

📅 Monday, September 14, 2026
📍 Behan Community Room, Hubert Campus Center, Albertus Magnus College, New Haven, CT
*Enter at Gate 4 on 80 Goodrich Street for free on-site parking

Register for Homes That Heal: https://heyor.ca/gBlptG

08/21/2026

Over the last decade, the price of starter homes in Connecticut rose nearly three times faster than household income, according to reporting from CT Insider.

What makes a “starter home” a starter home?

The Partnership's Senior Strategic Initiatives Manager Kayla Giordano explains how the term is commonly defined, and why Connecticut’s limited supply of smaller homes is making it harder for buyers to find an affordable place to start.

Learn more: https://heyor.ca/a56PWt

Connecticut’s median starter home price has climbed as buyers contend with a limited supply of smaller, more affordable houses.

08/20/2026

A new analysis of rental availability in the Greater Hartford area shows that having rental assistance does not always mean having meaningful housing options.

Of 421 rental listings analyzed, 242 met the Maximum Allowable Rent (MAR) standard used for Connecticut’s Rental Assistance Program, while just 100 met the stricter FMR standard used for Section 8.

And affordability goes beyond monthly rent. The average rent among qualifying listings was $1,931, while the average security deposit was $1,892, creating another significant barrier to accessing a home. Availability also varied widely by community, with higher-cost towns offering far fewer units that met payment standards.

The findings show that affordability is shaped not only by rent, but also by location, upfront costs, and the availability of homes that meet assistance program standards. When those factors don’t align, renters using assistance may have fewer choices about where they can live.

Read the full report: https://heyor.ca/IixIcR