MAYOR ELICKER ANNOUNCES NEW INITIATIVE TO REVIEW AND STRENGTHEN THE CITY OF NEW HAVEN’S HOUSING CODE ENFORCEMENT AND NEIGHBORHOOD ANTI-BLIGHT EFFORTS TO HELP ENSURE AFFORDABLE, SAFE, HIGH-QUALITY HOUSING FOR RESIDENTS
Liam Brennan selected to lead a comprehensive review of housing code-related programs in the City’s Livable City Initiative (LCI) and to identify recommendations to strengthen the department’s operations, processes, services, and engagement with tenants and landlords.
NEW HAVEN, CT – Today, Mayor Justin Elicker announced the beginning of a comprehensive review of the City of New Haven’s Livable City Initiative (LCI) that will lead to the development of a new set of recommendations and proposals to improve and strengthen the department’s housing code-related processes, services, and engagement with tenants and landlords. In February 2024, the City issued a public request for qualifications (RFQ) seeking a consulting partner for this scope of work and Liam Brennan has been selected to lead this effort, beginning April 22nd.
LCI is the city department responsible for helping to ensure affordable, safe, high-quality housing for residents through the enforcement of the city’s housing code, addressing blight in the community, facilitating the development of more affordable housing units, and administering innovative programs such as the City’s security deposit assistance program for renters and down payment and closing cost assistance program for homebuyers. The City of New Haven has diverse and growing housing stock of approximately 9,400 single-family homes and 9,400 multi-family homes and buildings, which includes approximately 43,000 rental units. Approximately, 70 percent of New Haven residents are renters.
“Ensuring our residents have affordable, safe, and high-quality housing is a top priority. While LCI has taken significant steps to improve and expand its services in recent years, there is a lot more we can and must do to ensure the department is operating as innovatively, effectively, and efficiently as possible so that we’re meeting the increasing demands of our city’s growing population and expanding housing stock,” said Mayor Elicker.
This new initiative will include a review of the City’s housing preservation programs spanning LCI’s housing code enforcement work, residential rental licensing program, and anti-blight efforts. In addition, it will also include a review of other cities and states to identify best practices that could be adopted and scaled in New Haven.
Liam Brennan has been charged with leading this review and identifying recommendations over the course of a six-month consultancy with the City of New Haven.
"With this effort, Mayor Elicker and the City of New Haven are bringing a real sense of urgency and innovation to the critical work of housing code enforcement, anti-blight efforts, and landlord licensing. The significant investments and initiatives made over the last year, as well as those proposed in the new budget, demonstrate a genuine commitment to transforming LCI into a more highly effective agency that ensures all New Haven residents have access to safe, affordable, and high-quality housing,” said Brennan. “I thank Mayor Elicker for this opportunity, and I look forward to working with him and the dedicated LCI team on this important initiative to strengthen the department's operations, expand its capacity to meet the growing needs of our community, and ultimately improve the quality of life for New Haven residents."
“While Liam Brennan and I might have been short-term political opponents in the last primary election, we’re long-term allies when it comes to ensuring New Haven families have affordable, safe, and high-quality housing and that New Haven is a city where all our residents have the have the opportunity to thrive,” stated Mayor Elicker. “Liam is an innovative thinker, thoughtful problem solver, and dedicated public servant who has a proven track record of developing systems, policies, and procedures that strengthen the organizations and institutions he has led. He’s also among the most passionate advocates for more affordable housing in the city. I look forward to Liam bringing his expertise, fresh perspective, and new ideas on how we can strengthen the important work that LCI does every day on behalf of our residents.”
Most recently, Liam Brennan served as first permanent Inspector General for the City of Hartford, where he conducted and oversaw investigations into allegations of police misconduct by the Civilian Police Review Board. Previously, Brennan served as the executive director for the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center, as a staff attorney for the New Haven Legal Assistance Association, and as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Over the last year, LCI has significantly expanded its efforts and services for renters and property owners, including:
- Increasing the number of housing inspections by 66 percent year-over-year.
- Launching a new mobile office initiative, setting up twice monthly pop-up offices in public parks, spaces, and buildings in neighborhoods across New Haven to meet with residents, answer questions, provide information about programs and services, take housing code and anti-blight complaints, and schedule appointments for housing inspections.
- Developing a Below Market Rental Registry to assist residents with identifying and locating deeply affordable housing units in New Haven.
Today’s announcement also builds on Mayor Elicker’s recent proposals in his proposed Fiscal Year 2024-25 to deepen the City’s investment in housing. This includes the proposed hiring of seven new housing positions (five new housing code inspectors and two new housing support staff positions) to complement LCI’s existing 13 housing code inspectors to help ensure all units can be inspected in a timely manner.
In addition, Mayor Elicker has proposed moving LCI’s housing development work to a newly created Office of Housing and Community Development within the Economic Development Administration to better integrate the City’s development and affordable housing initiatives, and also to allow LCI to focus exclusively on the important work of housing inspections, landlord accountability, and eliminating neighborhood blight.
These budget proposals are currently being considered by the Board of Alders. Per the City Charter, a final budget must be approved by the Board of Alders by the first Monday in June, which this year is June 3rd.
PRESS CONTACT:
Lenny H. Speiller; (203) 725-4249; Lspeiller@newhavenct.gov
