Housing Calls Resonate At Covid-$ Hearing

Invest in safe, affordable, owner-occupied housing.

Committee alders heard that plea again and again and again during their first public hearing on the Elicker Administration’s proposed $53 million federal-aid spending plan.

The Board of Alders Finance Committee hosted that public hearing Monday night in the Aldermanic Chamber on the second floor of City Hall.

Over 50 members of the public testified to share their thoughts on how the mayor has proposed spending $53 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ACTA) aid.

Included in that proposed ​“Phase 3” ARPA allocation is $10 million for various ​“I’m Home Initiatives,” including stepped-up support for down payment assistance, residential license inspections, and rental aid. 

The mayor has also proposed spending $4 million to establish a new ​“land bank” charged with buying and rehabilitating blighted and foreclosed properties.

City Economic Development Administrator Michael Piscitelli said that these and the various other vo-tech, business support, environmental sustainability, and youth engagement funding proposals included in this $53 million tranche are all in line with the federal directive to spend ARPA aid on programs that ​“move our investments out on the street” and ​“provide an appropriate response [to the pandemic] so that we can recover” and support a ​“very vibrant community going forward.”

Ultimately, the committee alders didn’t take any votes on the mayor’s $53 million spending plan Monday night. Rather, Finance Committee Chair and Westville Alder Adam Marchand explained that the committee would be taking the proposal up at another meeting in the near future at which they will ask city staff to go into further detail on the various programs to be funded through such an allocation.

Click here, here, and here for previous articles about what is included in this Phase 3 ARPA spending plan. Click here for a copy of the presentation given by city officials at Monday night’s hearing.

"Housing Is A Human Right"

Before that promise to continue the matter to a future date, dozens of members of the public spent roughly three hours Monday night calling on the alders to prioritize investments in a number of areas with this once-in-a-generation windfall. 

Those included safe streets, youth programs, childcare, good jobs, climate sustainability, and affordable housing.

Safe and affordable housing ​“is such a fundamental part of a good and healthy life, of wellbeing,” said Camila Guiza-Chavez, the co-executive director of Havenly and a member of the Sisters in Diaspora Collective. ​“It is the top priority and top preoccupation of every single family we work with.”

Guiza-Chavez called on the alders to spend more than $50 million, not just $10 million, of ARPA aid on affordable housing initiatives. ​“We believe housing is a human right,” she said. ​“Buy buildings to put families in them. Buy buildings to preserve them as affordable housing long term.”

Alyson Heimer agreed. Born and raised in New Haven, she said she’d love to move from Hamden back to her home city. ​“But I cannot find anything to buy” because she keeps getting ​“outbid by big landlords who pay cash.”

Owner-occupied landers ​“care about their tenants,” she said. ​“They care about streets,” they care about neighbors and neighborhoods.

“If you care about blight and you care about crime and you care about parks and about neighbors and about jobs,” she said, ​“then we have to take back this city from big landlords and give it back to the community members who are going to hire their neighbors for landscaping and construction, who are going to rent at a reasonable rate to people.” 

She urged the alders to spend some of the ARPA aid on buying up housing directly and then working with local nonprofits and the public housing authority to preserve those units as safe and affordable. She also handed out copies of a two-page proposal to spend $52 million in ARPA aid to buy 144 rental properties containing 395 different housing units spread across 23 different wards.

Dixwell resident Crystal Gooding said that the three top priorities she heard as she canvassed neighbors on how this ARPA aid should be spent were on support for seniors, programs for youth, and housing for low- and moderate-income households.

“People are frustrated that they can work in the city, but they cannot afford to live here,” she said. The many luxury apartment complexes shooting up all over town only add to that frustration and sense of helplessness.

Fellow Dixwell resident Carla Chappel agreed. She described a friend whose apartment is falling apart and who can’t afford to turn on the heat so as to prioritize money for rent and other necessities. ​“No one should have to live under these conditions,” she said. ​“I urge you all to fight for proposals that will lead for actually affordable housing for a majority of New Haven residents, and not just for a minority of wealthy people.”

Many of the residents who spoke up on Monday said that they too have spent weeks reaching out to neighbors to talk about ARPA spending plans as part of their organizing work through the local grassroots community-building and labor advocacy organization New Haven Rising.

“Safer neighborhoods, more youth services, and affordable housing” were the top priorities they heard at the doors through this type of outreach, said one such New Haven Rising organizer, Remidy Shareef.

“Our city needs more affordable housing and more youth opportunities,” added former Beaver Hills Alder and New Haven Rising organizer Jill Marks.

Affordable housing was at the top of mind for many of the 20 neighbors she surveyed in Dixwell in recent weeks, added Frances Hunter Drive resident Nicole Neely.

“Purchasing a home is nearly impossible for low-income folks these days because of the surge in housing prices, which has worsened gentrification.”

“Rent costs are outrageous these days,” she continued. ​“It is critical for the city to step in and prioritize housing when allocating ARPA funds.”

Spending Plan Detailed

Before the public hearing section of Monday’s meeting, city Policy Analyst Dijonée Talley talked the alders through a broad overview of how the city plans to spend $10 million on ​“I’m Home Initiatives” and $4 million on a New Haven Land Bank. 

Below is a breakdown of those housing spending plans, as quoted directly from the slide deck presented to the alders Monday night.

I’m Home Initiatives ($10M)

• Neighborhood Development Initiative: Funds to be used in furtherance of wealth creation through affordable homeownership and may be used for down payment assistance; closing costs and support for acquisition and development of single-family and two-family dwellings as well as accessory dwelling units for impacted homeowners.

• Fair Housing Fund: Funds to be used to support technology upgrades and program management for residential license inspections, Fair Rent Commission and gap financing for development projects with affordable housing components, including projects with a supportive housing component.

• Rental Assistance Fund: Funds to be used to offset the cost of housing for impacted or disproportionally impacted households who are not currently receiving state or federal housing assistance. Funds may be used in conjunction with Financial Services Center in part to support housing navigators, development of an affordable unit registry and Fair Housing programs.

New Haven Land Bank ($4M)

• Funds to be used to establish and operate a new Land Bank to support government services and address negative economic impacts of the pandemic with the authority to accept real property by foreclosure, gift, exchange or other means for the purpose or rehabilitating the property and Connecticut Public Act 19 – 92 related to the appointment of a receiver to take possession of vacant, blighted property for the purpose of rehabilitation together with associated planning and administrative functions.