Affordablehousing,livable wages focus of New Haven mayoral candidates
Jul. 14—The fair market rent in New Haven, where about 70 percent of people are non-homeowners, is nearly $1,700 for a two-bedroom apartment, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. To afford that, a would-be tenant would need to earn about $32 per hour — more than double the current $15 minimum wage, the coalition's website states.
Creating affordable housing in a city where so many are struggling financially was at the forefront of Thursday's forum.
Shafiq Abdussabur, a retired police sergeant and former Beaver Hills alder who grew up in the city's Prospect Hill section, pledged to create 5,000 affordable housing units within five years, with a focus on accommodating families. "As all of you sitting in that audience know, if you're trying to find a three-bedroom apartment in the City of New Haven, good luck," Abdussabur said.
Paying for those affordable units, Abdussabur said, would require the city working with the state and federal governments, as well as local community partners, to "come together with a plan."
Wendy Hamilton, a former nurse and a city philanthropist, said she would demand that half of all future apartment building units qualify for the state's Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.
Hamilton reiterated throughout Thursday's debate that, if elected, she would have the city file for municipal bankruptcy on her first day in office.
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Tom Goldenberg, an East Rock resident and a consultant for McKinsey & Co., said he felt the Section 8 program was underfunded, preventing thousands of qualified residents from securing housing assistance. "Let's make the housing voucher program an entitlement," Goldenberg said. "If you qualify for it, you should get it."
Liam Brennan, a former federal prosecutor and legal aid lawyer who now is an inspector general in Hartford, said he "didn't have a set number" of affordable units that he envisioned building if elected. Instead, he spoke about how to overcome certain barriers to implementing affordable housing — mainly updating the city's decades-old zoning code that is rooted in the process of urban renewal, which Brennan called a "mistake then" and a "mistake now."
Brennan, like Abdussabur, said New Haven needs to prioritize building larger affordable units for families. He added that city officials are "often overmatched by developers" whose affordable housing projects typically only include studio or one-bedroom apartments, which "do not serve the needs of our residents."
"We need to be strong with developers and have a clear vision of what we want, and that is multifamily housing for families that need space, as well," Brennan said.
Elicker, who is seeking a third term, said his administration has created more than 900 affordable and deeply affordable units, with another 900 in the pipeline. According to Elicker, many of the developers working on these projects are local.
The mayor, who leads the pack in fundraising, stated his preference for new inclusionary zoning policies requiring developers to include affordable units as part of future proposals. Lastly, he urged officials to advocate for the city's suburban communities being more open to development.
"We as a group need to continue pushing because while we need to do more, we can't do this alone," Elicker said. "This is a statewide crisis."
Even with all of the affordable housing that is expected to come online, Elicker said, residents still must have the ability to make a decent living so they can pay for those units that are being created.
To give more residents a chance at earning a better wage, officials relocated an adult education program to Bassett Street in the city's Newhallville section, which contains the highest percentage of people without a high school degree, according to Elicker.
New Haven Public Schools also has committed to better supporting those students who choose not to attend college by offering career pathway programs, enabling them to advance in their career of choice. Elicker said the city is talking to the state about relocating Gateway Community College's Automotive Technology Center in North Haven to the school's former building in New Haven.
Brennan further stressed the importance of education, saying the city needs to have a "whole system" that shepherds students from pre-kindergarten to adult. "Right now we do not have universal pre-K in this city," Brennan said. "This is a huge intervention — we need that. That's a long term jobs issue."
Abdussabur pointed to the large number of city jobs that have yet to be filled as open positions that represent an opportunity for advancement. He spoke about his grandfather, a garbage man with a sixth grade education who saved enough money from his two city jobs to pay for his first home in cash.
"That's what a city job does, and those are the city jobs we are failing to fill," Abdussabur said.
During the forum, candidates also debated how they would hold major property management companies accountable for housing code violations.
Brennan said he would hire more housing inspectors to keep corporate landlords in check, as the city's current shortage likely has allowed complaints to fall through the cracks. "You can make a complaint, but if no one ever inspects the properties, you're not going to get anything done," he said.
Brennan recommended the city list housing complaints against landlords online. Doing that, he added, hopefully would "shame" landlords into action while letting tenants know when their complaints will be looked into.
According to Elicker, the city is on the verge of upping the amount landlords can be fined for housing violations, from $250 to $2,000, pending approval from the Board of Alders. He agreed that more city housing inspectors were needed.
Goldenberg said he planned to work with the Connecticut General Assembly to forbid landlords from "jacking up the rent" without making substantial improvements to the property.
Abdussabur criticized Elicker for his handling of the Tent City encampment, saying the mayor misused New Haven police officers — some who were paid overtime — to remove several individuals experiencing homelessness from the site.
Elicker, though, chose to highlight efforts he has undertaken to support the unhoused population. The city recently activated a temporary emergency shelter off Ella T. Grasso Boulevard that is providing beds and services for an extra 50 people. The mayor said he is also working with another agency to figure out how to implement storage for individuals experiencing homelessness.
Elicker, Goldenberg, Brennan and Abdussabur are seeking the Democratic Party nomination, while Hamilton is an independent candidate. Additional mayoral hopeful Mayce Torres, who did not attend the debate, is unaffiliated.
