Connecticut advocates are distressed about the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Grants Pass v. Gloria Johnson.

The ruling said public camping bans are not "cruel and unusual punishment" as defined by the Eighth Amendment. It means municipalities can fine homeless people for making encampments in public parks.

Sarah Fox, CEO of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, said criminalizing homelessness never works.

"People who are arrested are then returned to our community without resources," Fox pointed out. "So those that are engaged in the criminal justice system rarely come back to the community with the resources they need to thrive."

She added expenses such as court fees can stall a person's efforts to get housing. States such as California, Texas and Utah have bans similar to Grants Pass. Other states are either considering bans or saw legislation fail when it was introduced. The ruling comes as the last two annual point-in-time snapshots showed homelessness in Connecticut is rising after an 8-year decline.

Nationwide, homelessness has only grown since 2017. A 2022 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development point-in-time snapshot shows more than 582,000 people were homeless on a single 2022 night.

Fox argued a multipronged approach can reduce homelessness and developing affordable housing is a primary concern.

"We need to take a deep look at zoning," Fox contended. "What other models of housing are available in the near term, and how do we actually build deeply affordable units in the long term to meet the need?"

Recent estimates showed Connecticut is short 100,000 affordable housing units and current housing is too expensive even for higher-paying jobs in the state. The National Low-Income Housing Coalition finds Connecticut rental prices far exceed the pay of most if not all jobs the state has to offer.


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More than half of all renters in Oregon and a third of homeowners experience a housing cost burden, according to new research. Housing advocates say investing $45 million in down payment assistance will help open the door to homeownership.

Karen Saxe, director of policy, advocacy, and strategic relationships with Dev Northwest, said Culturally Responsive Organization Down Payment Assistance funds would help lessen the gap between rising housing prices and what people can actually afford.

"Our team works with people every day that have put in the hard work and face the ongoing challenge of saving for a down payment as prices throughout their lives continue to climb," she explained.

In many cases, rent can be higher than a mortgage payment would be for a similarly sized house or condo. The down payment assistance is part of Governor Kotek's proposed budget for 2025 to 2027, and is expected to directly benefit 750 first-time homebuyers.

Challenges with buying a home are more severe for first-generation homebuyers, many of whom are people of color. Saxe explains the organizations receiving the funding, including her own, are culturally responsive, meaning they cater to the needs of the communities they serve.

"So that might be language access. That might be when classes or counseling are offered. It might be the amount of down payment assistance," she continued.

Oregon Housing and Community Services' first "state of the state's housing" report found that for every dollar Oregonians earned in wage increases, the median sales price of a home increased by over $7. Though she says there is still a long way to go, Saxe is optimistic that Oregon is heading in the right direction.

"It's exciting to see the governor's request budget, when we were seeing investments in a home ownership like we've never seen before," she said.

Saxe added that Dev Northwest's average client needs about $40,000 in down payment assistance in order to make a mortgage affordable.


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John Park, mayor of Brookhaven, joined more than 250 mayors at the 93rd annual winter meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C.

They discussed shared challenges and innovative solutions from addressing aging infrastructure to advancing public safety technology and combating the housing affordability crisis. Park emphasized the importance of collaboration and forward-thinking strategies.

"We have infrastructure that's old that we need to replace, and those things cost money," Park pointed out. "And not only is it finding resources to pay for it but it's also doing it the right way, doing it in a sustainable way so we're not right back here in the future."

Park explained Brookhaven is already revamping its stormwater management and connectivity projects by integrating sidewalks, greenways and multiuse paths with infrastructure upgrades to improve sustainability and enhance residents' quality of life.

Park highlighted the importance of addressing the housing affordability crisis, noting it is not just a local issue but a national one. He stressed cities like Brookhaven must work hand-in-hand with federal agencies to find solutions.

"We have to find ways to fight that affordability problem," Park acknowledged. "And we can do that through policymaking and coordinate that policymaking with national resources."

Brookhaven's public safety initiatives stood out as a highlight Park shared with fellow mayors. He described the city's 911 system, which has drastically improved response times.

"When a caller dials 911, the geocoded police officer in the area can listen on the conversation," Park explained. "They can't interact with it, they can listen and understand what's going on and actually arrive before the call is completed."

Park emphasized innovative practices not only improve response times but also demonstrate how Brookhaven is leveraging technology to build safer communities. He said other ways they're using technology is through its drone programs and artificial intelligence.


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Virginia has a housing shortage of more than 200,000 units, and one legislative effort backed by a coalition of faith-based groups is trying to fill that gap. A bill introduced in the General Assembly would allow local governments to create a streamlined process for faith groups and other property-tax-exempt nonprofits to build affordable housing.

Sheila Herlihy Hennessee, director of faith organizing for the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, said congregations run into many different roadblocks when trying to build housing on their land.

"Congregations don't do this every day. A developer might do three or four big housing projects per year. A faith community might do one in a century. This is not their bread and butter, so there's a big learning curve with figuring out how to make that happen," she said.

She added that other issues include resistance from neighbors to increasing population density - and zoning laws across the state that are mostly geared toward single-family housing, and said working around those zoning laws can be arduous and time consuming.

A report by Housing-Forward Virginia and the Interfaith Center finds faith-based organizations own a substantial amount of land - more than 74,000 - in the Commonwealth. That's double the size of Richmond.

Herlihy Hennessee, who also co-authored the report, said the bill would provide the same, streamlined process now used to build affordable housing to other nonprofits.

"So, this very explicitly says, 'Yes, localities, you do have the authority to make the process easier for faith communities. Yes, localities, you can cut down on the NIMBY-ism. Yes, you can make this cost less money and move faster," she explained.

The legislation would also create a pilot program, where faith communities can apply for funds to cover pre-development costs, such as feasibility studies, site plans, architects and more.


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