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Fairfield County Talks Housing

Since 2020, the Fairfield County Talks Housing program has been hosting resident-led, fact-based conversations about housing in southwestern Connecticut and across the state. 

The program is spearheaded by local residents and supported by the Fairfield County Center for Housing Opportunity. Through these community conversations, the program aims to raise awareness and build understanding about how housing and land use policies can both provide and deny access to opportunity in our communities. The program originally began with town-level conversations like Darien Talks Housing and New Canaan Talks Housing before establishing itself as a county-wide initiative. 

Fairfield County Talks Housing 1-on-1

In 2024, Fairfield County Talks Housing began hosting a series of candid one-on-one conversations with local and state officials, where the participants can speak in greater detail about their housing objectives and programs. 

Connecticut House Majority Leader Jason Rojas (D-9) 

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.

Connecticut Municipal Redevelopment Authority Executive Director David Kooris

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.

Evonne Klein PSC Conference 2024

Credit: Partnership for Strong Communities

Fairfield County Talks Housing is hosted and co-founded by Evonne Klein, a resident of Darien, CT who has served as Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Housing, and Darien First Selectwoman.

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Let's talk housing.

Sign up to receive event invitations and updates from the Fairfield County Center for Housing Opportunity. 

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