Non-Profits Launch “Housing For All” Network to Support Grassroots Pro-Housing Movement in Connecticut
CONNECTICUT (May 27, 2026) – Today, the Housing Collective and Connecticut for All Justice Fund launched the Housing for All (H4A) network, a statewide network of local resident groups in rural and suburban towns across Connecticut, working in their own communities to build support for housing.
As rates of homelessness continue to rise in Connecticut—and housing remains scarce with roughly 120,000 new affordable homes needed to meet demand statewide—the Housing for All Network will help ensure everyone in Connecticut has the tools they need to take action in their own community to expand access to housing they can afford.
Different towns face different challenges and opportunities. Recognizing this, the Housing for All network will provide tailored support to help local residents and groups create housing solutions that work for their communities.
As part of the Housing for All network, local residents and resident groups will have access to education, training, leadership coaching, communications support, networking and peer learning. With these tools, residents can shape the future of housing in their towns.
Housing for All is the first statewide housing network of its kind in Connecticut, and currently includes more than 40 member organizations representing a wide, diverse range of communities.
Residents and local groups are encouraged to sign up to join the Housing for All Network.
"As an organizer of faith-based institutions around issues of affordable housing, it is essential that local organizing efforts exist within a framework of regional and statewide coordination," said Cori Mackey, an organizer with Greater Hartford Interfaith Action Alliance (GHIAA). "Without this coordination, efforts to address affordable housing in small pockets amount to plugging leaks in a sinking ship. We get short term relief while wide scale displacement and scarcity continue to rise. Systemic problems require systemic solutions."
“Creating more housing options in the towns we serve has been one of CoDE’s key priorities since its formation in 2020,” said Donna Jolly, co-founder of the Coalition on Diversity & Equity (CoDE), a nonprofit, volunteer-led educational organization serving Andover, Columbia, East Hampton, Hebron and Marlborough. “We soon realized the value in connecting with other community-based groups doing the same work, as well as learning from statewide experts. I’ve been advocating for a support network, like Housing for All, to provide us all with education and training, opportunities to connect with each other to share information and discuss successes and challenges we’re facing, and to provide a way to use our collective voice to support change on a statewide level. We're already seeing the benefits!”
“When seniors and teachers cannot afford to live in the communities they serve and love, it becomes clear that we need to band together. This is our situation in Stratford,” said Jocelyn Ault, a volunteer with the Stratford Homelessness Task Force. “This past year, many have joined small and large group conversations, to listen, and explore ways to be part of solutions. We are deeply grateful for the guidance and partnership of the Housing Collective, Beth-El Center, the school district, and our local providers, whose support has been key to helping frame the issues and provide needed training and background for our Homelessness/Housing Task Force. The more we understand, the more we can work creatively to meet these challenges instead of simply sitting back, feeling overwhelmed.”
"For too long, we have built too few homes in Connecticut leading to a shortage. By working together we can make the changes needed to add more homes of all shapes and sizes so that workers can afford to live here and our young people can afford to stay here,” said Miles Lasater, Co-Lead, Neighbors for Housing Southern Connecticut. “We're excited to work with the Housing for All Network to drive change."
“The Housing Collective has been a tremendous leader and organizer of the town and independent organizations that support affordable housing. The Housing Collective also provides leadership training support to individuals who are concerned about affordable housing in their community,” said Jacque Paige and Susan Ray, Housing Team Co-Chairs of Congregations Organized for a New Connecticut (CONECT). “With NO affordable housing legislation passing in 2026, we must renew and reinvigorate our efforts to get important legislation passed in the 2027 session.”
"Housing is a verb, an ongoing action—not just a physical structure. To house someone means to plan, to build, to maintain, and to support,” said residents with Wallingford Works for Housing. “When a community treats housing as a shared civic verb, it moves from reacting to crises toward actively shaping a sustainable future. This isn't about buildings—it's about responsibility. By reframing housing as a verb, we recognize that everyone—residents, leaders, planners, and policymakers—has a role in shaping where and how we live. Housing becomes a collective function, grounded in long-term planning, transparency, and shared commitment. Communities don’t just have housing. Communities house people.”
“The housing crisis in Connecticut is complex and undeniable. Real people of all ages are suffering the consequences of delayed action,” said Sara Locke, an organizer with the All In Alliances. “We are grateful that Housing for All is responding to this need and listening to the voices of people who are living with housing insecurity as a daily fact of life.”
"From cities to rural areas, tenants are forming unions and fighting back against corporate greed in housing because to us, our apartments aren't units or line items--they're our homes,” said Hannah Srajer, President of the Connecticut Tenants Union. “The launch of this network builds on our coalition-building work with the Housing Collective and CT For All over the past several years. That work has demonstrated that when homeowners recognize their shared interests with renters, we can build power together for a housing vision rooted in affordability and community and win a Connecticut that serves the many rather than the few."
“The housing crisis has created a homelessness emergency. Across the country, a $100 increase in median rent means a nine percent increase in homelessness,” said Jen Paradis, Executive Director of the Beth-El Center and Co-Chair of the CT CAN End Homelessness Steering Committee. “In Connecticut, unsheltered homelessness has increased by 45% in one year alone. As the Beth-El Center works to respond to homelessness through direct services, we know that our mission extends beyond service toward building communities in which housing is affordable and accessible to all.”
“The Salisbury Housing Trust has been active since the early 2000's when community members recognized that affordable housing would become a very pressing issue in the future,” said John Harney, President of Salisbury Housing Trust. “Our founders saw that with the increasing second home market, locals would be priced out in an essentially financially gated community. Many of our owners of Housing Trust homes are heavily involved in the community as volunteers with our fire company, recreation programs and public library. The Housing Trust currently has 21 homes in Salisbury and this would not be possible without the support of Jocelyn Ayer and her team at the Housing Collective. This represents four families becoming community members that otherwise would never have had the opportunity.”
"I moved to Windward Village (now known as Bay Point) in Niantic in 2003. The rent increases were always reasonable, until I received a letter from the new owner in June 2024 stating my rent would increase by $800 per month," said Judy Plouffe, a member of the Bay Point Tenants Union. "With the help of Beth Sabilia from the Housing Collective, and support from some elected officials, we organized, protested and succeeded in having the town create a Fair Rent Commission. After hearing my case, my rent increased by only $150. We have since formed a union and become part of the CT Tenants Union. What we're going through is stressful, but we stick together because we know there is strength in numbers. Our experience at Bay Point shows that residents can make change when we organize, and that other residents and communities can do it, too."
“True, systemic change doesn’t flow from the top down – it grows from the ground up,” said David Rich, President & CEO of The Housing Collective. “By empowering communities to build local power and create solutions rooted in their own values, the Housing For All Network will create lasting, equitable change. The Housing Collective is proud to be co-leading this initiative and turning this vision for stronger, healthier towns into reality.”
“Housing stability is essential to Connecticut’s long-term economic and social well-being,” said Norma Martinez-HoSang, Director of the Connecticut for All Coalition. “When families are priced out of their communities or forced to live in unstable conditions, the effects are felt across our entire state. Housing for All reflects a shared commitment to addressing these challenges through collaboration, local leadership, and equity-centered policy.”
“People in eastern Connecticut know how to stand up for what they want, and work together to improve their communities,” said Beth Sabilia, Director of the Center for Housing Opportunity Eastern Connecticut. “Whether through tenant organizing, municipal technical assistance, or public education programming, we have been supporting residents as they fight for fair and affordable housing, and we’re excited to continue supporting residents and building bridges across communities and regions through the Housing for All Network.”
“Building affordable housing in rural Litchfield County can be challenging, but it’s easier when you have active, engaged local partners and meaningful local support,” said Jocelyn Ayer, Director of the Litchfield County Center for Housing Opportunity. “Our seed funding, project management, and community engagement support for local housing groups has resulted in a pipeline of over 230 units of affordable housing in development across our region. We look forward to building on these efforts and sharing practices with other parts of the state through the Housing for All Network.”
“We often hear about the challenges surrounding affordable housing in Fairfield County, but it’s time we start focusing on the opportunities,” said Aimee Monroy-Smith, Director of the Fairfield County Center for Housing Opportunity (FCCHO). “Affordability will allow us to build on our strengths, from education to economic development to health. Through the Housing for All Network, FCCHO will work with residents, local officials, and community leaders to seize this opportunity and make sure everyone can live and thrive in our wonderful communities.”
The network is led by The Housing Collective and the Connecticut For All Justice Fund. The Housing for All network is supported by the Connecticut Council of Philanthropies.
About the Housing for All Network
The Housing For All Network supports local resident leaders and grassroots groups in rural and suburban towns across Connecticut, working in their own communities to build local support for housing. The Network assists local groups on the ground by providing tools and resources that respond to local needs, and brings communities together within and across regions to build statewide support for housing.
About The Housing Collective
The Housing Collective strengthens Connecticut’s housing and homelessness systems by aligning communities, public agencies, and service providers around coordinated, regional solutions. For 20 years, we have served as a backbone organization, helping partners work across boundaries to reduce homelessness, expand access to affordable housing, and build systems that support long-term housing stability.
About Connecticut For All Justice Fund
Connecticut For All is a statewide coalition of labor, community, and faith organizations representing hundreds of thousands of people—black, brown, and white. We stand united in a long-term mission to eliminate systemic inequalities and rebuild a better Connecticut.
