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Norwalk fair-rent coordinator urges tenants to report loss of heat, outlines statewide coalition
Summary
Coordinator Carlos Duque described a new statewide fair-rent coalition, said Connecticut Department of Housing offered funding and partnerships, and urged tenants to report lack of heat or hot water to staff, the health department or police.
Carlos Duque, coordinator for the Norwalk Fair Rent Commission, told commissioners on Jan. 8 that statewide fair-rent commissions are forming a coalition with the Connecticut Department of Housing and the Partnership for Strong Communities to coordinate assistance for residents with rent and habitability issues.
"We had the pleasure of meeting and hearing from the Connecticut Department of Housing, Commissioner Sheila Mosquera-Bruno, where she spoke about this new partnership that we are all forming to try to assist statewide residents with rent issues," Duque said. He added that the Department of Housing "vouched to provide some funding for different programs and to provide a partnership with the state" and that the coalition’s subcommittee is drafting a mission statement for use by commissions across Connecticut.
Duque also spent much of his report urging tenants to report habitability problems promptly. "Tenants go days without having heat or hot water," he said. "You have to speak up. You have to bring it up. You have to reach out to someone, whether it's myself, whether it's the health department, somebody." He advised that if problems occur after working hours, residents should call the police or 911, and during office hours they should contact Duque or the health department.
Commissioners and staff discussed recent local incidents in which clusters of units lacked heat and tenants were relocated temporarily. Duque said police had relocated residents to a hotel on at least one recent occasion. Commissioners emphasized that tenants sometimes wait until they receive an eviction notice before reporting habitability problems; Duque said he works to reassure residents that legal timelines provide opportunity to respond.
Duque and commissioners also discussed casework volume: he said many residents contact the office about eviction notices or habitability issues and that the commission will continue quarterly meetings with the statewide coalition. He asked commissioners to support outreach and to direct residents to appropriate channels for prompt assistance.
The presentation did not include new policy changes from the commission; it was a status report about coordination, outreach and tenant-advice protocols.
