Litchfield County Center for Housing Opportunity 2025 Impact Report

Impact

EXPANDING AFFORDABLE HOMEOWNERSHIP IN RURAL COMMUNITIES

In 2025, LCCHO continued advancing the Litchfield County Affordable Homeownership Program, helping create new pathways to homeownership in Northwest Connecticut. In a rural region facing rising housing costs and limited supply, this work is helping ensure that first-time buyers are not priced out of the communities where they live and work.

MOVING MORE HOUSING FROM IDEA TO REALITY

In many parts of Litchfield County, affordable housing does not stall for lack of opportunities. It stalls because small towns and volunteer-led organizations often lack the early-stage support needed to move projects forward. In 2025, LCCHO provided day-to-day project management support for 18 affordable housing developments underway in 12 towns. It also provided pre-development seed funding to help local groups assess project viability and move developments through early planning and permitting.

That work included support for projects such as Mallory View in Barkhamsted, Millard Brook in Cornwall, River Bend in Litchfield, Holley Place in Salisbury, Warren Village in Warren, and Batcheller School in Winchester. Together, the developments LCCHO supported in 2025 represent a pipeline of 209 rental homes and 21 owner homes. LCCHO also assisted 15 volunteer-led housing nonprofits across the region to engage the residents in their communities and build community support for affordable housing solutions.

CONVENING THE REGION AROUND PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS 

LCCHO also continued to play a vital convening role in Northwest Connecticut. A major example was the 2025 Litchfield County Housing Affordability Summit, which brought together nonprofit leaders, municipal officials, funders, lenders, state partners, and community members for workshops, project showcases, a groundbreaking ceremony, and keynote conversations with state and regional housing leaders. The summit reinforced that housing is both a local issue and a regional systems challenge. 

UNLOCKING FINANCIAL RESOURCES FOR HOUSING DEVELOPMENT

In 2025, LCCHO helped local partners access significant resources to support affordable housing development across the region. That included $8.8 million in construction and permanent financing from the CT Department of Housing for rental developments, $2.3 million for the Litchfield County Affordable Homeownership Program, $2.1 million in construction loans from Capital for Change, and $580,000 in pre-development financing from CT Dept. of Housing. Alongside these larger investments, LCCHO deployed $203,000 in seed funding to help local groups assess project viability and position projects to compete successfully for much larger capital awards.