Connecticut did not meet the moment in 2025. Despite the outcry of our residents and the glaring reality of a housing and affordability crisis in our state, we didn’t do nearly enough to support our hard-working families.
This year, as co-chair of the state’s housing committee, I, along with many of my
colleagues, championed House Bill 5002. Ensuring access to quality housing is a foundational responsibility of the entire Connecticut legislature and yet I spent almost 12 hours debating House Republicans who were determined to sink the bill under false claims of eliminating local control.
The bill passed both chambers after receiving strong public support from Gov. Ned Lamont. Then on June 23, the governor conceded and announced that he planned to veto the bill — even though he still stated support for most of the policies. In essence the governor capitulated to what he acknowledged was false information.
If that’s how decisions are made going forward our state is in deep trouble. A veto of this bill is a massive mistake, a setback for housing in Connecticut and a slap in the face to the hard working families and the most cost-burdened of us. I’d like to tell you why.
In 5002 we saw an opportunity for significant progress in housing, taking necessary steps while ensuring that local decisions were protected and local control was minimally impacted. One section of this bill simply requires that cities and towns submit affordable housing plans. The towns themselves create and submit these plans and zoning must only be changed if it is required to fit the plan that they
submitted.
Municipalities also have the opportunity to submit reasons why they cannot attain the goals set in their plan. We can use those reasons to help address the needs and barriers for local zoning.
This would allow towns to individually plan to meet these goals, maintaining local control over their plan on how to achieve more affordable housing. Another section called Work Live Ride is an optional program that incentivizes development near transportation hubs to ensure a vibrant workforce and that the current hard
working Connecticut residents can easily get where they need to go.
What are we doing about the actual building of affordable or multifamily housing in HB 5002?
There is over $100 million specifically prescribed for affordable housing projects, matching funds for our building trades to leverage their own capital to build housing, and a pilot program for housing authorities to buy properties and keep them affordable long term.
There are fully optional partnerships with neighboring housing authorities for communities that struggle to build affordable housing., The bill would also grant the ability to redevelop vacant commercial units, as of right, into much needed urban housing in downtowns and in areas closer to the services that many people living in our community need every day. Additionally we aimed to assist our most vulnerable residents with mobile showers and laundry for homeless persons, direct cash assistance for families eligible for Rental Assistance Program (R.A.P) Vouchers and make sure there are R.A.P vouchers available for families who have students in the Open Choice Program.
In 2025 we, the governor and the legislature, nibbled around the edges and were content with the status quo ruling the day under the guise of “fiscal responsibility.” I fully endorse smart fiscal policies aimed at improving our state’s financial position, lowering our debt, and protecting our taxpayers. What I don’t agree with is that we can’t pursue a more robust and forward thinking agenda that is fiscally responsible, while still acknowledging the moment that we are in and the residents who are struggling everyday with a rising cost of living.
We create these policies to build the resources necessary to invest in all people, especially our hard-working residents. What is the point of building a rainy day fund totaling $4.1 billion when a working family can’t find decent housing that fits their budget, or a young professional has no clear path towards owning a home?
House Bill 5002 was an opportunity to show hard-working families that we have their needs at heart and a veto by Governor Lamont ensured that once again we are missing the moment.
What was a large step in a progressive direction that hard-working families need us to move in became a false flag to anyone with hopes that Connecticut will begin to address the housing crisis we face. We are 46th in the United States in building permits per capita. We have the ninth highest cost of living. Our average rent in
Connecticut is $2,071, the national average is $1,761 while our average apartment size is smaller than the national average.
We cannot continue to follow this administration’s current blueprint to build a rainy day fund by any means necessary while not acknowledging that for many families in our state the rain started years ago.
We must address the many challenges that families and hard-working residents face as the cost of living soars. Connecticut is too expensive, too constrained and too segregated, but when faced with the opportunity to take a progressive step, we missed the moment.
State Rep. Antonio Felipe of Bridgeport represents CT House District 130.
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