Page 46 - CLT010421

46 ¦ JANUARY 4, 2021 CLOSING ARGUMENT

EDITORIAL BOARD

Broaden Housing Authority Jurisdiction
To Stop Subsidizing Segregation

C Capitol Building in Hartford. Photo by Michael Marciano/ALM
onnecticut statutes regulating public hous- ties have to vote to allow it. As you can imagine,
ing authorities ensure that government this doesn’t happen often. In fact, the only part-
housing subsidies reinforce segregation. nerships between municipal housing authorities
Since 1949, Connecticut law has provided are between overwhelmingly white communities.
that the “area of operation” for a public housing This restriction helps to ensure that government
authority is the municipality where it is locat- housing dollars keep poor people of color in com-
ed (Conn. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 8-39). A municipal munities of color. Today, 80% of housing vouch-
housing authority’s areas of operation can only ers—vouchers intended to give recipients choice
include neighboring communities if “the govern- and the ability to live in less segregated, higher
ing body of such neighboring municipality agrees opportunity areas—are used in racially isolated
by proper resolution” to allow the extension of au- communities with high crime and poor education
thority. If the Bridgeport Housing Authority, for outcomes.
example, wants to give a client a housing choice Recent events in north Hartford have highlight-
voucher she can use it not just in largely Black and ed the impact of balkanizing of government hous-
Latino Bridgeport, but over the border in Fairfield ing dollars. In 2018 and 2019, after years of failed
or Stratford, and those largely white communi- safety inspections, the U.S. Department of Housing

CONNECTICUT
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