The Partnership for Strong Communities strongly supports the significant investments in affordable housing included by Governor Malloy in his biennial budget for FY14-15. The Governor’s FY14-15 budget proposal reinterated the commitments he made to affordable and supportive housing last year. The budget proposed by the Governor includes the state’s largest investment in housing in more than two decades, with significant new funding for the preservation, rehabilitation and creation of affordable and supportive housing.

Last biennium, Governor Malloy initiated a significant investment in affordable housing in Connecticut including: (a) $120 million for affordable housing; (b) $30 million to preserve and upgrade public housing as the start of a ten year commitment; (c) over $30 million for 300 units of supportive housing; (d) $12.5 million for congregate housing with ongoing operating subsidies; (e) $2 million for Housing Incentive Zones; and (f) consolidation of the state’s housing functions into a new department.

The Governor’s biennial budget for FY14-15 builds on those investments:

• Affordable Housing 
  Authorizes $136 million in capital funding over the biennium ($68 million in each year) to develop or rehabilitate affordable housing across the state. 

• Public Housing Revitalization
  Authorizes $60 million in bonding ($30 million in each year) as years two and three of a ten year commitment of $300 million to preserve and upgrade this housing, bringing deteriorated and vacant units back on line. Funding is supported with an annualized $3 million for 300 new RAPs to ensure an adequate ongoing revenue stream to prevent future deterioration.

• Supportive Housing 
  Authorizes $20 million to develop 100 new units of supportive housing with an annualized $1 million for rental assistance subsidies and $1 million for services. 

• Incentive Housing Zones
  Authorizes $1 million for financial incentive payments to help municipalities plan for and create mixed-income housing.

• Rapid Re-Housing
  Adds $500,000 ($250,000 each year) for housing relocation and stabilization services and short-term financial assistance to help homeless families. 

• Transfer of programs into the new Department of Housing 
  A Governor’s bill will implement the creation of the new Department of Housing, which was established in legislation last year, by statutorily transferring programs and responsibilities from DECD, DSS, DMHAS, and OPM.

The governor’s FY14-15 Biennial Budget is available here. 

For more information about the Governor’s proposed investments in housing, read our related article on the Governor's biennial budget proposal.