Rent increases threat to push K out
K. in Torrington has been priced out of multiple towns.
“I would love to move back to my hometown of Sharon,” she told us. “But it’s no longer affordable [even] in Torrington, which has a bigger population and market. It makes going home a fairy tale dream that has no chance of coming true.”
Many people have shared their stories with us about Connecticut’s cost of living crisis. When we’ve asked about where they’d live if money wasn’t an issue, people were the most likely to say they’d stay in their current city, or move back to their hometown.
But for people like K., the rising cost of rent and homes makes that goal out of reach.
The cost of housing is eating up more and more of hardworking peoples’ budgets in our state. Our neighbors who have lived here their entire lives are being priced out of their homes, school districts, and sometimes Connecticut altogether. Something has to be done.
K. said that combined, her rent and gas bill have gone up by $600 a month over the last two years – a 60% increase from when she moved in four years ago. It’s leaving little left for the essentials and makes saving for the future harder.
“We have to be extremely careful budgeting for food since…[we’re] living pretty bare bones,” she said, adding that her “biggest fear is being unable to save for an emergency” like car repairs or a hospital visit.
“[We’re] always one problem away from financial ruin,” she told us.
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 learning more about your community action team and follow us on social media for the latest opportunities to get involved. Together, we can make Connecticut work for working class people.