Who We Are, What We Do...

The Connecticut Housing Coalition works to expand housing opportunity and to increase the quantity and quality of affordable housing in our state. Founded in 1981, the Coalition represents the broad, vibrant network of community-based, affordable housing activity across Connecticut.  Our more than 250 member organizations include nonprofit developers, housing services agencies, resident associations, and diverse other housing practitioners and advocates.

INFORMATION AND NETWORKING SERVICES
The Coalition is the forum through which housing organizations and leaders make connections, exchange information, provide mutual support, share best practices, build capacity, improve efficiency, overcome obstacles, and collaborate to promote affordable housing in our state. We convene housing people to identify common concerns, deliberate strategies and implement solutions. The Connecticut Housing Coalition serves as a resource center for member organizations, housing professionals and community leaders. We disseminate timely information on funding opportunities, policy and program updates, regulatory actions, best practices, and position openings.

POLICY ADVOCACY
The Coalition seeks to ensure that the shaping of public policy benefits from the experiences and perspectives of those working to solve our housing problems on a daily basis. Over the years, we have played a leading role in initiatives such as these:

• Establishing a $100 million Connecticut Housing Trust Fund to finance the development of homeownership and rental housing affordable to low and moderate income families;
• Overcoming exclusionary zoning, through statutes such as the landmark Affordable Housing Appeals Procedure;
• Expanding the state’s Housing Tax Credit Contribution Program to encourage business donations to local nonprofits that build and rehabilitate affordable housing;
• Restoring state investment to fund emergency repairs and rehabilitation in public housing, through the State-Assisted Housing Sustainability Fund.

We also participate in nationally coordinated, grassroots mobilizations to impact federal housing policy, on issues including the HUD budget, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, public housing reform, and the creation of a National Housing Trust Fund.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPERS NETWORK
The Network promotes the work of nonprofit housing development organizations and their partners, including municipalities and public housing authorities, increasing their capacity and expanding the resources available for their work. It facilitates communications between developers and public agencies, coordinates advocacy around policy initiatives, provides training programs and technical assistance, promotes opportunities to increase affordable housing production, and seeks to overcome barriers to the efficiency and scale of production.

PUBLIC HOUSING RESIDENT NETWORK
Public housing leaders join together in the Public Housing Resident Network (PHRN), an independent, self-governed organization for which the Coalition provides staffing and support services. Through training and capacity building of resident associations, PHRN works to preserve and improve public housing as a vital housing resource for low-income families. PHRN holds regular leadership meetings and provides direct assistance to local resident groups that are confronting challenges in their communities.

CONFERENCES AND EVENTS
The Coalition’s annual conference is the state’s largest gathering of affordable housing professionals, resident leaders and other housing advocates. The Coalition’s conference, membership meetings and special workshops provide educational opportunities for members and the public. Topics have included: financing of housing development, models in housing management, tenants’ rights and responsibilities, homeownership opportunities, public housing, rental assistance, fair housing, homelessness prevention, predatory lending, and federal housing policy.

The Coalition stands as Connecticut's foremost membership organization for affordable housing. Join us - as together we assert the right of every person to a safe, decent and affordable home.