More than one-third of New Haven residents spend half of their income on rent. U.S. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut says she wants to help those residents avoid eviction.
Delauro told New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker and officials from New Haven Legal Assistance on Thursday that her bill would provide $125,000 in grants from the U.S. attorney general. The money would help provide low-income residents with an attorney in civil actions related to eviction.
“It establishes a right to counsel for folks, and in addition to that, the bill allows the attorney general to collect evidence of eviction data.”
DeLauro says evictions are now more common with skyrocketing rents, as the supply of affordable rentals outpaces demand.
“One-third of New Haven residents spend 50% of their income on rent, when the recommended amount is 33%, and overall this is a recipe for disaster.”
A study from Princeton’s Eviction Lab shows four Connecticut cities are among the 100 places with highest eviction rates in the country. They include Waterbury, Hartford, Bridgeport and New Haven.