Litchfield County Residents Come Together on Affordable Housing

By Linda Tuccio-Koonz

Justin Potter is home in Kent with his wife, Claire. The father of two, who grew up on a Washington dairy farm and married his high school sweetheart, is hunkered down at his desk.

“I spent all morning writing thank-you notes, and still have a long way to go,” says the president of Kent Affordable Housing (KAH), responding to donations that poured into the organization.

Since KAH is dedicated to developing, sustaining, and advocating for affordable housing, Potter is delighted to have such a task.

It’s a reminder that people are coming together—not just in Kent, but throughout Litchfield County—to provide affordable housing in a not-so-affordable area. 

“Even before the pandemic, finding a place that was affordable on a Litchfield County wage or salary was challenging, and now the situation is much worse,” Potter says, noting that Kent’s Volunteer Fire Department has lost several firefighters because of rent increases.

Teachers, healthcare and restaurant workers have also struggled with Litchfield County’s housing prices, not to mention young folks who grew up here and want to stay. Some share their stories in the documentary, Housing Our Neighbors, from the Falls Village Community Development Corporation. 

Eloquently explaining the housing crisis—while highlighting some towns addressing it—the film itself is an example of how residents are rallying.

And Jennifer Kronholm Clark is among those who are grateful. “My husband James and I met in Salisbury, married in Salisbury, and are raising our children in Salisbury,” she says. Without the support of the Salisbury Housing Trust, the couple “would never have been able to purchase a home in the town where we put down roots.” 

She and her husband volunteer on several local boards. “After benefiting so much from the support of our community, we are pleased to be able to give back and to help others.”

Potter says, “People across the spectrum are realizing this (need for affordable housing) is an issue, and are taking action ranging from joining their local affordable housing organization, to simply not objecting to zoning changes that will allow more housing when they might have in the past.”

The state is also insisting on action through a law that requires every town to prepare a housing plan every five years. Jocelyn Ayer, director of the Litchfield County Center for Housing Opportunity (LCCHO), is helping. 

“Almost every town in Litchfield County, including Litchfield, has gone through the process,” she says, naming places from Roxbury and Washington to Winchester and Torrington.

“Residents in each town got together on a steering committee that I helped facilitate to create a plan to meet their residents’ affordable housing needs.” And the needs are substantial: more than 1,000 Litchfield County households are on a waiting list.

Ayer says most of the nonprofit housing organizations are all volunteer, and have been doing terrific work. LCCHO assists by providing a shared project management staff, so they can work faster to get more units—either newly built, or renovated—up and running.

Another positive development is that several towns, including Cornwall and Falls Village, are devoting some of their American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to projects involving property purchases, renovations, and maintenance of affordable rentals.

Litchfield and Morris each devoted a little over $100,000 to purchase properties, too, she says. “Towns are really stepping up.”

Also, the Salisbury Housing Committee recently received a $100,000 grant from a private family foundation to address housing needs. 

And then there’s people such as Jim Dresser, “who donated land that’s literally in his backyard for the development of affordable housing” in Salisbury.

“Obviously, not everyone has the ability to do that, but he’s an amazing example of somebody who really stepped up,” Ayer says. “He saw the need. Now we’re working to develop housing on that site.”