Council to Take Up Proposal to Create Housing and Homelessness Committee

The City Council’s Committee on Planning, Zoning and Housing is to take up a proposal to create a new Council Committee on Housing and Homelessness.

“Unaffordable housing and homelessness has had a pervasive impact on our community,” a statement from the Council’s President Pro-Tempore, Ald. Francisco Santiago (D-5), said, adding that the new committee would, “be a sounding board for all to come and discuss the topic while trying, in unison, to find an effective solution to the housing affordability and unhoused issues facing the community today.”

“We have heard the voices of those who have come to our Council meetings to speak and we thank them for their courage,” said Ald. Santiago. “We realize that this is an issue for the entire community as a whole, and that affordable housing and homelessness affects the entire city, not just the unhoused.”

The statement from Santiago said that,

Unaffordable housing causes an erosion of community stability, places an economic strain on families, individual, businesses and municipalities, promotes the rise in homelessness, exacerbates mental health issues and stresses educational disparities while also putting unbearable pressure on service providers and volunteers.

The Council Committee on Planning, Zoning and Housing is to take up the proposal on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, at 6:30pm in the Council Chambers on the second floor of City Hall. “All members of the public are encouraged to participate during the public hearing to add their insight of the topic and to help in finding a solution,” Santiago’s statement says.

“This is an issue that cannot be solved overnight and we need help finding an adequate solution that is just right for the unique needs of our city,” Santiago added. “Let’s work together to get results! Come participate in the meeting and help make New Britain’s solutions the inspiration for other communities across the country.”