This story has been updated.
State lawmakers on Friday voted to advance a bill allowing religious organizations to install temporary shelters for people experiencing homelessness on their property.
But the bill — part of the legislature’s larger efforts to address the state’s housing crisis — was amended to restrict the number of towns where the temporary shelters are allowed.
As initially drafted, the bill would have allowed temporary shelter units to be built in any municipality with more than 15,000 residents.
But Rep. Doug Dubitsky, R-Chaplin, introduced two amendments seeking to limit the bill to bigger cities.
Initially Dubitsky wanted to limit eligible municipalities to the eight largest towns and cities — those with more than 70,000 residents. But the Democratic majority rejected that amendment.
Dubitsky then introduced an amendment that restricts the bill to towns with more than 25,000 people.
Prior to the amendment, roughly 76 of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities would have met the criteria of 15,000 people, according to most recent population estimates. The amendment shrank that number to around 45 towns and cities. Plainfield, one of seven Connecticut towns represented by Dubitsky, was one of the towns that were exempted as a result.
Dubitsky insisted that the housing insecurity Connecticut is experiencing is only present in the larger cities. He also brought up concerns of potential impacts to smaller communities.
“I think it’s important we recognize the on-the-ground damage that having an outdoor homeless shelter on every church property in every town would have,” Dubitsky said. Dubitsky also expressed concerns over what he viewed as a potential rise in crime, saying that, should the bill become a law, “The parade of horribles that could result are endless.”
Democrats on the committee argued that, given the recent statewide increases in homelessness over the past few years, the legislature had a duty to do what it can to assist the growing homeless population in Connecticut.
“We are in the middle of a humanitarian crisis with our homeless in Connecticut,” said committee co-chair Rep. Eleni Kavros DeGraw, D-Avon.
In Connecticut, the number of people experiencing homelessness rose 13% from 2021 to 2022, followed by a 3% increase from 2022 to 2023. This increase follows a national trend, as homelessness increased by 12% nationally since last year, according to a report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
In the last legislative session, a law passed declaring homelessness a public health emergency in Connecticut. The law created expansions for protections afforded to these people under the homeless bill of rights established in 2013.
“We have 1,000 people sleeping outside every night. Nearly 30 out of those in Fairfield County are children.” Kavros DeGraw said during the meeting. In Torrington, last December, planning and zoning commissioners denied Northwest Hills Community Church’s permit application to run a homeless shelter on Prospect Street, citing the public’s health, safety and welfare as their biggest concern.
Proponents of the new bill argue that it will help address one of the biggest reasons why the amount of people experiencing homelessness in Connecticut has risen over the past few years: a lack of space.
“During planning meetings, we explored every possible resource, noting a shortage of available space for warming centers and its direct impact on our ability to provide safety and warmth to people. Community providers approached churches and other organizations seeking sites to host local warming centers,” Sarah Fox, chief executive officer of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, said in written testimony. “However, many sites faced challenges due to zoning code restrictions, preventing them from providing shelter. Expanding shelter beds, especially during cold weather emergencies, is vital, and this bill would ensure opportunities for shelter during times of increased need.”
Advocates also called it a moral obligation to assist in housing the homeless.
“This bill will create more housing,” said committee co-chair Sen. MD Rahman, D-Manchester. “We have a moral obligation as a legislature to provide the people who desperately need a place to live somewhere to live.”
Critics of the bill argue that it will circumvent the policies and procedures that small towns within the state have in place for land use.
“We are concerned that HB-5174 would undermine opportunities for local officials to enact and enforce zoning and land use regulations to protect the safety and welfare of residents and businesses within their community,” Betsy Gara, executive director of the Connecticut Council Of Small Towns, said in written testimony.
Rep. Joe Zullo, R-East Haven, echoed similar concerns.
“I don’t know if this gets to the heart of it (homelessness) — I think it asks too much of municipalities,” he said.
Zullo said he remains open to further discussion on the bill, and Gara argued that lawmakers should try other ways of addressing homelessness, such as identifying the best practices and model zoning changes regarding the approval process for prefabricated shelter units.
Critics also raised concerns regarding the “as of right” approval for the installation of temporary housing units. This type of approval means that a project within a district is reviewed for compliance with the zoning code by town staff, without needing to undergo a public hearing. If an application meets the criteria outlined in the district’s zoning code, it will be approved.
There are several problems with the legislative language, according to Zachary McKeown, Advocacy Manager for the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities. First, the bill doesn’t specify how long “temporary” is, which he argued is a circumvention of the state building code. McKeown also viewed the allowance of eight temporary shelter units of up to four hundred feet in size regardless of the size of the lot as problematic. He also voiced concerns over the location of setbacks, which are only 10 feet away from adjacent properties, and he argued that water and sewer authorities will be unable to account for the increased usage generated by the temporary shelter units.
The bill passed out of committee on a 14-7 vote.
The bill now goes to the House for a vote; while acknowledging the possibility of further changes, Kavros DeGraw made it clear the type of changes she would be interested in.
“I am only open to changes that will help us get more homeless people housed,” Kavros DeGraw said.
Clarification
This story was updated to reflect the final 14-7 vote.