Partnership for Strong Communities

06/02/2026

There’s still time to join us for our next iForum: Building Tenant Power: Organizing for Stability.

Hear directly from organizers, advocates, and residents about what tenant organizing looks like on the ground, how housing challenges vary across communities, and how tenants are building collective power across Connecticut.

🕘 Wednesday, June 5 | 9 AM – 12 PM
📍 Mattatuck Museum, Waterbury

Light breakfast will be served.

Register now and view the full schedule and panelist lineup: https://heyor.ca/DTh64S

06/02/2026

HUGE thank you to everyone who joined us last month for the Norwich Housing Forum, and to everyone who helped make it a success.

From the resource fair to the panel discussion on housing stability and childhood poverty, the event highlighted the challenges residents face and the importance of collaboration in building lasting solutions.

We are grateful to all of the speakers, panelists, organizations, and attendees who showed up, shared resources, and helped housing affordability and stability forward in Norwich and Eastern Connecticut.

Read the full event recap: https://heyor.ca/wfzVio

06/01/2026

📣 The Call for Session Proposals for CAHC 2026 is officially open!

We’re looking for bold, equity-centered, action-oriented sessions that tackle Connecticut’s affordable housing challenges and spark collaborative solutions.

We especially want proposals that:
🏘️ Expand housing choice
⚖️ Center racial equity
💡 Showcase innovative local solutions
🤝 Include diverse voices and lived expertise

Have an idea for a session? Submit your proposal today: https://heyor.ca/dj7UNT

05/29/2026

What does neighborhood investment actually mean for Hartford residents trying to build long-term housing stability?

In our latest blog, Research Associate Makayla Cervantes explores Hartford’s Neighborhood Investment Fund through a homeownership lens; examining how public investment, housing supply, and affordability intersect for working families navigating today’s housing market.

From personal experience to policy analysis, the piece looks at the opportunities and challenges of expanding pathways to homeownership in Hartford.

Read the full blog here: https://heyor.ca/rPwTFD

05/27/2026

Stable housing depends on more than affordability, it also requires strong tenant protections and accountability.

This session, several important housing stability proposals failed to pass, including:
❌ Expanded just cause eviction protections
❌ A statewide nonresident landlord registry
❌ Stronger enforcement tools for repeat blight violations

Many of these proposals had significant support and still never received a vote on the floor of either chamber.

Connecticut renters deserve safe, stable housing and policies that protect them from displacement and unsafe conditions.

Learn more: https://heyor.ca/FnmgM4
iForum Registration: https://heyor.ca/rnQZPP

05/26/2026

We’re excited to introduce three of the newest members of the Partnership’s Board of Directors!

Their experience spans frontline homelessness services, affordable housing strategy, and statewide advocacy, and each brings a deep commitment to advancing housing stability in Connecticut.

Learn why they chose to join the Partnership and what they hope to contribute to this work: https://heyor.ca/m1OVPP

05/26/2026

During our 2026 Legislative Session Debrief Webinar, Policy Director Sean Ghio responded to the claims that Just Cause eviction protections would make neighborhoods “less safe” or create “forever tenancies”. He named what many of the arguments against the bill really were: racist fear-based tactics rooted in harmful stereotypes about renters.

Watch this clip to hear his response, and watch the full webinar recording here: https://heyor.ca/g8HXjC

05/25/2026

Where does Connecticut go from here in the fight for tenant protections? Join us for the final panel of our iForum, Building Tenant Power: Organizing for Stability — a candid conversation on the 2026 legislative session, the progress made, and the work still ahead to secure stronger protections for renters across the state.

📍 Wednesday, June 3 | 9 AM – 12 PM
📍 Mattatuck Museum, 144 West Main Street, Waterbury

Featuring:
Amy Peltier, Partnership for Strong Communities
Senator Matt Lesser
Maryam Elahi, Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut
Hannah Srajer, Connecticut Tenants Union

Register now: https://heyor.ca/DTh64S

05/22/2026

Meet Partnership intern, Luz Holmes-Padgett!

Luz is currently pursuing her M.S. in Public Health, with a focus on Executive Leadership and Management, at SCSU. During her internship, Luz is researching the effectiveness of the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program and its impact on long-term housing stability. Her work combines policy review, qualitative insights, and secondary data analysis to better understand how supportive housing and economic mobility programs can help families build lasting financial security.

Luz sees housing as one of the most urgent challenges facing Connecticut today. As costs continue to outpace wages, more families are experiencing instability or being pushed farther from jobs and essential resources. She believes that advancing housing affordability and stability is key to strengthening public health, expanding economic opportunity, and supporting thriving communities across the state.

05/21/2026

“This is the first time that we’ve been in this position of having bipartisan stakeholders come to the table to at least discuss many of these issues." - Amy Peltier, Coalition & Advocacy Director at Partnership for Strong Communities

Next step is the Senate. We’re encouraged to see bipartisan momentum around federal housing solutions, including efforts to streamline housing voucher inspections, preserve older housing stock, and support local responses to homelessness.

Read more: https://heyor.ca/Vne6V0

The housing bill is one of the rare bipartisan efforts in Congress. Because of new changes, the Senate will need to take it up again.