Collected from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, this indicator is the percentage of children who live in households that are housing insecure. A household is considered housing insecure when their housing costs, including utilities, rent, insurance, etc. total 30% or more of their income. The data has seen two consecutive years of decline, leveling off at 38% since 2013.

When disaggregated by race, around 55% and 56% of black/Hispanic children are living in housing insecure households in 2014 respectively, as opposed to 28% of white, non-Hispanic children. The decline in the white population and increases for Black/Hispanic families has led to no change in the last two years. According to the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, in order for a family to afford a two-bedroom apartment and utilize less than 30% of their income on housing they would require an hourly wage of $24.29, or 2.7 full time jobs, at minimum wage. For a female-headed household or any single-parent household, both parent and child would struggle substantially to maintain a quality standard of living.

Through the state’s Department of Housing, a variety of rental assistance vouchers are available to residents under the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program, including the Tenant Based Rental Assistance Program, Family Unification Program, etc. State law also requires municipalities to provide property tax relief for certain homeowners (elderly, disabled, veterans, etc.), and the state provides a variety of abatements, homestead programs, and deferrals. For new/existing homeowners, the Connecticut Housing Finance authority advertises a variety of programs that provide low mortgage interest rates for people within certain income limits or specific populations (police, teachers, etc.). These programs, as well as other policies undertaken by the Connecticut General Assembly’s Housing Committee help reduce the percent of a household’s income that is needed to pay for housing costs. In addition to making housing more affordable, the state and various partners provide programs to assist in the reduction of energy costs.

The State Department of Social Services oversees programs related to heating assistance during Winter (November 15^th to March 15^th), including the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program, Contingency Heating Assistance Program, Crisis Assistance Program, and Safety Net Services. Other energy related programs provide weatherization and other measures for energy efficiency, which are coordinated with the federal government and state businesses. These programs provide incentives for homeowners to gradually reduce their reliance on more expensive forms of energy, retain energy being used within their homes, and invest in long-term energy reducing home improvements. Reducing both the cost of housing and the cost of core utilities helps lower-income families utilize more of their incomes in ways that positively affect their child’s health, safety, and overall wellbeing.

• Department of Housing
• Department of Social Services
• United Way of Connecticut
• Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness
• Permanent Commission on the Status of Women
• Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund
• Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission
• Connecticut Housing Coalition
• Connecticut Housing and Finance Authority

• Increase the availability of low-income housing in high-performing school districts outside of urban areas. (LPRAC)
• Eliminate exclusionary zoning laws that have the net effect of limiting housing options for Hispanics to only urban areas. (LPRAC)
• Tie affordability requirements to increased density. (HAND)
• Increase the safety, success and longevity of first-time homeownership. (Harvard University)
• Monitor inclusionary zoning effectiveness, productivity and longevity. (Harvard University)
• Study wealth-building, shared equity, and upward mobility. (Harvard University)

Strategies collected from the Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission (LPRAC), Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND), Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University (Harvard University)