Regional housing study: Eastern Connecticut has fewer homes for smaller households, CHEO director tells New London council

Beth Sebelia, director of the Center for Housing Equity and Opportunity in Eastern Connecticut, told the New London City Council on Jan. 21 that the eastern third of Connecticut faces a long-running mismatch between household types and available housing, and that the region must diversify housing types and preserve existing affordable units to prevent displacement.

Sebelia said the regional housing needs assessment, overseen by the four councils of governments in the CHEO region and produced with data partners, shows the region has lost population since 2010 while the number of households has grown. She said roughly 56 percent of households in the region are one- or two-person households but only about 40 percent of the region’s housing is designed for smaller households. “We believe that equitable access to housing that is safe, affordable, and connected to resources is a human right,” Sebelia said. She identified the study’s core strategic partners as the Housing Collective, Partnership for Strong Communities and LISC Connecticut.

Why it matters: Councilors pressed CHEO for practical next steps after the presentation. Council members said New London needs both preservation programs for low-income residents and a broader pipeline of new units sized and priced for smaller households, seniors and working families.

Details from the presentation and council exchange - Sebelia said the Eastern Connecticut housing needs assessment pools American Community Survey, state labor data and local real-estate sales data collected under oversight by the Regional Plan Association. She said the report and its underlying datasets will be released on CHEO’s website for use by towns and nonprofits. - Regional headlines Sebelia cited included a net population decline of about 10,000 people across the three counties in her study period and an increase of nearly 6,000 households during the same timeframe. She said about 56,000 residents in the eastern part of the state earn at or below 80% of area median income, while the region has roughly 25,000 units considered affordable to that population. - Sebelia said fewer than 5% of homes built since 2000 in the region are two- to four-unit buildings (duplexes, triplexes), housing types that can be more affordable and “right-sized” for households of one to two people. - On New London specifically, Sebelia noted the city’s housing mix is skewed toward multifamily structures: about 41% of housing in New London is owner-occupied and 59% renter-occupied; roughly one-third of residents live in single-family detached homes and about one-third live in buildings with more than five units. She said New London has both an above-average share of residents age 65 and older and a relatively large share of residents aged 20–29.

Council questions and CHEO responses - Councilor Rhianna Dice asked whether tools such as community land trusts, shared-equity models and down-payment assistance are being considered; Sebelia responded, “Yes — community land trusts, shared equity, deed-restricted affordable homes, tenant supports, down-payment programs — yes to all of it.” - Councilor Jeff Hart asked whether accessory dwelling units (ADUs) should be revisited. Sebelia said ADUs can be helpful but face financing and construction costs; she recommended revisiting ADU policy while addressing local financing and permitting barriers. - Councilor Nattartez and others asked about data sources; Sebelia said datasets include the American Community Survey, the Bureau of Labor statistics, and Eastern Connecticut Board of Realtors sales data, with the Regional Plan Association serving as the data contractor.

What CHEO said it will do next Sebelia said CHEO provides technical assistance to towns on implementing affordable housing plans, convenes peer-learning opportunities, and will support nonprofit developers to close capacity and financing gaps. She noted CHEO will seek private philanthropic support to expand preservation and rehabilitation programs beyond municipal programs funded by Community Development Block Grant dollars.

Context and next steps Councilors and staff mentioned existing preservation efforts in New London, including planned renovation of Gordon Court as an opportunity to add deeply affordable units. Councilors also discussed municipal tools such as preservation programs funded by CDBG and urged combining local actions with regional coordination. Sebelia left committee contacts and said CHEO staff — including project manager Nicole McCormack and regional planner Caroline Wells — are available to support grant applications and project development.

CHEO’s report and the underlying datasets will be posted on CHEO’s website; Sebelia said the organization will circulate the link to the full report and datasets for use by the council and local nonprofits.