Fairfield County Talks Housing

State Senator Bob Duff and State Representative Jason Rojas, moderated by Evonne Klein, discussed local housing policies and the potential special session later in 2025. Hosted by Fairfield County Center for Housing Opportunity, Partnership for Strong Communities, and The Housing Collective at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield; following the end of the 2025 Legislative Session and a veto of an affordable housing bill that passed through the legislature.

During the 2025 legislative session, Connecticut lawmakers passed HB5002, a major housing bill reducing barriers to multifamily housing and promoting smart growth near transit and downtowns. Meanwhile, lawmakers did not vote on HB 6889, a bill intended to protect tenants from “no fault” evictions. Fairfield County Talks Housing hosted a session recap with CT Housing Majority Leader Rep. Jason Rojas, CT Housing Planning & Development Committee Chair Rep. Eleni Kavros DeGraw, and Sean Ghio of the Partnership for Strong Communities to explore the status of these bills and the outcome of the 2025 legislative session overall.

How will legislators respond to Connecticut's housing challenges? Lawmakers join Fairfield County Talks Housing to discuss what's on the horizon for housing during the 2025 legislative session in Connecticut, and how residents can make their voices heard. Speakers: Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, Senator MD Rahman, Co-Chair, Planning and Development Committee Senator Martha Marx, Co-Chair, Housing Committee Mendi Blue Paca, President & CEO, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation (Introductory Remarks) Evonne Klein, Founder, Fairfield County Talks Housing (Host)

Connecticut House Majority Leader Jason Rojas (D-9) represents CT's 9th Assembly District, which includes the communities of East Hartford and Manchester. After serving in the CT House of Representatives since 2009, in 2020 Rojas was elected by his colleagues to serve as House Majority Leader. He is the first person of color to serve in the “Big 6,” Connecticut's top six legislative roles. 

Throughout his career, Majority Leader Rojas has been one of Connecticut's most vocal and active legislators on housing affordability. In 2021, he was instrumental in the passage of HB6107 to reform exclusionary zoning practices. During this conversation, he discusses current housing priorities, the state of play ahead of the 2025 legislative session, and how residents can make their voices heard.

Governor Lamont launched the Municipal Redevelopment Authority in July 2024 to support communities wishing to grow and develop new housing, particularly in their downtown core areas. Kooris has extensive experience in community planning and infrastructure development, helping developers secure tens of millions of Housing Tax Credits to complete multiple neighborhood plans and rezonings during his time as Executive Director of the Redevelopment Agency of Bridgeport. During this conversation, Kooris discusses the challenges of municipality development, MRDA's work with Fairfield County, and his vision for the future of Connecticut housing.

Speakers from housing, tenant, and immigrant advocacy groups will share best practices for how to advocate for better housing policy in Connecticut. Advocacy could mean talking to your neighbors, putting up a lawn sign, or showing up a town Planning & Zoning Committee meeting. This conversation focuses primarily on how to communicate with state and local lawmakers and organize within your own community to help change laws around housing.