Affordable and mixed-income housing in high-resource communities provides families and children with opportunity. In Mt. Laurel, NJ, where the state Supreme Court said communities can’t use their zoning power to exclude low-income families, two decades of success show that inclusionary zoning and affordability in high-resource municipalities offers proven benefits to the families living there. Massey’s findings are consistent with previous research. But how should Connecticut policymakers proceed? How much can affordable homes in the right locations help? What programs are in place already and which are needed? How should housing be integrated with other strategies for enhancing classroom achievement? And how should we use scarce resources to ensure that working-class families have many choices of where best to live and educate their children?

Date: Thursday, April 17, 2014
Time: 8:30-10:30 a.m. (Breakfast and Registration 8:00 a.m.)
Location: The Lyceum, 227 Lawrence St. Hartford, CT (Directions)

Keynote Speaker
Prof. Douglas Massey, Princeton University

Massey’s study of the families that ultimately were able to live in Mt. Laurel – consistent with other research that will be reviewed at the forum – shows how affordable homes in high-opportunity communities enhance school achievement, job opportunities, quality of life and family cohesion.

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