Stable Homes, Strong Communities
The Center for Housing Equity and Opportunity Eastern CT (CHEO) partnered with national systems change experts TheCaseMade to assess how residents feel about housing and related issues like education and economic development in New London, Tolland, and Windham Counties. Then, we developed a series of messaging recommendations based on this research: Stable Homes, Strong Communities: Changing the Conversation Around Affordable Housing in Eastern Connecticut. This playbook of recommendations is intended to help advocates build more public support for affordable housing by improving the way they make their case.
Executive Summary
From the neighborhoods of New London to the woods of Tolland County, from the shore to the hills and everywhere in between, Eastern Connecticut means many things to many people. All of the 530,000 residents in the eastern third of the state, however, share at least one definition for eastern Connecticut: home.
Home means safety. Home means security. Home means comfort, warmth, familiarity, family. There are many common narratives that surround the concept of home. Some of the strongest emotions a person can feel, positive or negative, are connected to the concept of home. This is why making a home can be so enriching, or why being displaced from one can be so traumatic.
In eastern Connecticut there are not enough healthy, stable and affordable homes to go around. Nearly one in three households in New London, Windham and Tolland Counties, and nearly half of renters, are housing cost-burdened., spending more than a third of their income on rent, mortgages, or other housing-related expenses. This means our neighbors are often choosing between housing and other essentials, like healthcare and education. Others are living in unsafe or unhealthy housing, and others can’t afford a home at all.
We are not building and rehabilitating enough homes to keep pace with demand. For example, in August, Connecticut had just over 3,500 condominiums and single-family houses for sale compared to about 15,000 on average before the pandemic. The shortage does not affect everyone equally: Black and Latino households are nearly twice as likely to be housing cost-burdened as white households, while two thirds of Black and Latino households live in just 15 of Connecticut’s 169 towns and cities.
If our housing system is broken, why can’t we fix it? One reason is too many of those who could help change the system either don’t know it’s a problem, don’t think it concerns them, or outright oppose the construction of more housing. We need to build public will by bringing our neighbors off the sidelines and into the fight for affordable housing. To do this, we need to connect the issue to people’s own concerns and aspirations by redefining what affordable housing looks like, how it’s built, who needs it, and how it contributes to a community. We need a new narrative.
We need a new narrative for affordable housing that attracts more people and inspires them to act.
That’s why the Center for Housing Equity and Opportunity Eastern CT (CHEO) developed this playbook of recommendations to help advocates change the narrative around affordable housing in the region. CHEO conducted surveys and listening sessions with national systems change experts TheCaseMade in 2023 to understand how residents feel about housing and their communities as a whole.
We are at a critical moment. The housing crisis is impacting more people than ever before, so we have an opportunity to build more support for housing than ever before. A nationwide uprising in support of racial equity took place just a few years ago, so we have an opportunity to make equity part of our call to action. Eastern Connecticut residents feel it. They know the cost of living is rising, instability is growing, and racial and economic inequity is a problem, but they don’t see affordable housing as a solution. It’s our responsibility to show them.
Those reading this report understand the value of a stable home. You know it’s more than statistics or real estate. It’s a feeling: a feeling that things will be alright, and that you can tackle troubles and accomplish goals because you have a foundation. Most other people understand this, too, but as advocates we don’t really talk about this feeling. Instead, we talk about data or land use, or we get trapped into talking about politics, public assistance or “community character.” We’re not making a persuasive case.
The truth is that we’re never only talking about housing when we talk about housing, especially “affordable housing.” The topic is bound up with other ideas, some positive, many negative. This has been a challenge for housing advocates, but we can turn it into an opportunity. We can tap into the positive ideas associated with “home” and leverage them to build support.
We need to break down and bypass negative narratives around affordable housing and put new, positive narratives in their place.
The idea of “investing in critical community infrastructure” does not necessarily inspire people. Some residents even hear terms like this and distrust them. Affordable housing is critical community infrastructure, but we need to change our messaging to communicate this idea and make it inspiring for our neighbors. What does inspire people? Love. Family. Diversity. Stability. Home. We will move the needle once residents begin associating these positive ideas with affordable housing.
The survey responses we gathered revealed widespread anxiety over the cost of living, distrust of government, and a feeling of isolation from the rest of the state. Yet we also found strong connections between neighbors, a desire for diversity, and a deep appreciation for the opportunity and connectivity which eastern Connecticut offers. Ultimately, most residents are simply seeking stability, at home and within their community. Our new narrative must tap into these feelings.
Based on this research, we developed six recommendations to help housing advocates create a new narrative that redefine affordable housing as an asset for everyone, and inspires people to support it. These recommendations are designed to help you build on the positives and reframe the negatives. Use them to improve how you make your case, and let your community know what we’re really talking about when we talk about affordable housing.
Use these recommendations to change the way you make your case, and let people know what we’re really talking about when we talk about affordable housing.
Recommendations
Use the following recommendations to shape how you build support for affordable housing within your community. Different residents have different interests, from homeowners to renters and business owners to local officials. Still, many people across eastern Connecticut share certain concerns and aspirations. These recommendations will help you speak to these concerns and aspirations, and move people to take action in favor of affordable housing.
Position housing as a solution to common concerns like the rising cost of living and displacement.
Clearly establish the connection between affordable housing, jobs, and economic development.
Introduce equity to housing conversations and center the stories of those most impacted by rising housing costs.
Demonstrate that affordable housing comes in many forms and serves people of many backgrounds and income-levels.
Focus on solutions, not problems. Emphasize success stories instead of the negative consequences of the housing shortage.
Navigate away from negative narratives. Instead, build optimism and remind residents they have the power to make change.
Turn these ideas into action.
The Eastern Connecticut Housing Conversations Toolkit will help you bring to life the recommendations in our playbook.
