Report: Housing costs mount in Connecticut

An increasing number of households are spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing costs, and nearly a quarter of renters use over half their incomes on living spaces, according to a report released today by a Hartford-based advocacy group.

The Partnership for Strong Communities said in its annual housing report that declining personal incomes are part of the problem, leading to a 15 percent increase in family homelessness last year compared with the year before.

The report titled HousingInCT2011 report also said that 41 percent of all households spent more than 30 percent of their income on housing last year. That’s up from 25 percent just eight years earlier.

“Connecticut remains one of the costliest states to buy or rent a home, a barrier to formation of a strong labor pool, job creation and economic growth,” the report stated.

Last year, 51 percent of renters paid more than 30 percent of their income on housing, the report said. That’s an increase from 49 percent a year earlier.

At the same time, 27 percent of renters are considered severely burdened, paying more than half of their income for a place to live.

The report said an increasing number of residents in the state are renting, continuing a four-year trend. Last year, 32 percent of state residents rented, up 2 percentage points from four years ago.