‘My kids and I love Plainville and want to stay in this town.’
A.’s budget became tougher to manage when bills went up because her landlord wouldn’t fix things that were broken in her home.
“Until this year, I did not have a working heating system in my home,” A. told us. “I was using other heating sources that caused my electric bill to soar.”
She ended up paying for the electric system to be fixed and for a new water heater – things her landlord should’ve paid for. While she said she’s grateful a roof and broken back door have also finally been fixed, there are many repairs that still need to be done.
“If money weren’t an issue I would like to purchase where I live and renovate it for my children,” she told us. “As a single parent of four and a renter, I am aware that will probably never happen, but I pray each day for an alternative. If I can’t purchase this home, I would want to own first, or rent in Plainville. My kids and I love Plainville and want to stay in this town.”
But since her rent went up by more than $300 this year, she’s finding it harder and harder to plan for her family’s future. Her dreams are becoming more out of reach.
“Paying half or more of your income on rent causes greater limitations on my budget and increases stress to pay other rising utility [bills] and cost of living expenses,” A. said.
Hundreds of Connecticut renters have shared similar stories with us. Many people want to buy a home, but rising rent makes saving for a down payment difficult. About half of Connecticut renters said they want to buy a home, but are worried it will never happen because of the cost. The dream of buying a house is becoming less realistic for more people. Connecticut needs more affordable housing, and solutions need to start happening now.
Connecticut needs change. But it won’t happen unless we work together to demand it. Join us in the fight for a more affordable Connecticut by signing up for our email list and learning more about your community action team. Together, we can make Connecticut work for working class people.