The issue of affordable housing is one that is oftentimes overlooked, but thanks to past Chamber Chairman Bob Fusari and some other dedicated members, it’s finally seeing the light.  I’m happy to announce that the Chamber has recently added the Affordable Housing Committee to its roster of councils, committees and commissions.

Led by Chairman Bob Fusari of Real Estate Service of Connecticut, Inc., the committee is comprised of representatives from banks, community development organizations, real estate firms, mortgage companies, municipalities and home builders associations.

The committee’s overall mission is make sure the issues surrounding affordable housing in Connecticut are front and center and are prominent in the public dialogue.  The need for affordable housing is an extremely important issue in our state and must receive the attention it deserves from the federal, state and local governments as well as the everyday citizens of Connecticut.  The Middlesex Chamber Affordable Housing Committee will publicly support affordable housing friendly legislation and aims to work with lawmakers at all levels of government to make sure this issue is front and center.

David Fink is the Policy and Communications Director at the Partnership for Strong Communities.  This is an organization that is dedicated to raising public awareness and advancing solutions to create affordable housing and build healthy and economically vital communities.  David will be representing the Affordable Housing Committee at the Chamber division meetings and will be speaking on housing in Connecticut and specifically in Middlesex County.  He will focus on how this problem affects businesses and how passed and proposed legislation can help.

On the state level, there is finally some real attention being given to this problem and I urge all of you to keep an eye on upcoming legislation that may help with this issue.  The Chamber’s Legislative Committee will also be tracking legislative activity and will join forces with the Affordable Housing Committee to vocalize concerns in Hartford.

Thirty years ago there were starter homes for young people to buy and start out in and now there is no such thing.  Our children are moving away and staying away because they cannot afford to live here.  We are faced with not having affordable housing for young professionals, transferred workers and others.

One issue facing the state is that of attracting and maintaining a skilled workforce.  This is one area that is directly connected to the issue of housing, and in order to keep a skilled workforce in Connecticut, those individuals need places to live.
 
Many businesses, most notably Manufacturers, are finding it increasingly difficult to find and retain employees because the workers simply cannot afford to live near their job.  This is obviously a major threat to the business community and is something that must be addressed as soon as possible.  Also, many towns are having a lot of trouble maintaining their volunteer Fire Departments and Ambulance Corporations because the individuals who volunteer for these jobs cannot afford to live in the town.  This will eventually lead to the creation of full time departments and a significant swelling of local government budgets all over the state, which means taxes will rise and the goal of creating a business friendly climate will prove even more difficult.

As the legislative session goes into full swing, I want to encourage you to keep in mind the issue of affordable housing in Connecticut.  Make an effort to attend your local division meeting and contact your legislator to ask for their support.  We want to keep our skilled workforce, not lose them to surrounding states!