When federal housing officials reversed course last month and abandoned a controversial plan to change the way rental subsidies are determined, they did a considerable favor for hundreds of families in southwestern Connecticut.

Officials were considering changing the way the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development calculates the Fair Market Rent (FMR) for the region.  Some had proposed basing the region's FMRs on New Haven County's real estate market, while the FMRs are now based on the Bridgeport market.

FMRs are used to determine how much HUD will pay landlords through the Section 8 housing assistance program.  That may not sound like much to the average renter, but it translates into more affordable dwelling space for many residents of southwestern Connecticut.  The change would have resulted in reduced rental subsidies for low-income families, especially those in three- and four-bedroom apartments.

According to the Connecticut Housing Coalition, 162 of 169 state municipalities would have received less money than before if the changes went through. More than 500 families would have had to put more of their own money into monthly rent checks in the Greater Bridgeport area, according to the Connecticut Housing Association.

Put quite accurately by Carissa Riddle, executive director of the Ansonia Housing Authority, "These changes would have created real hardships for many families."

It's no secret that the cost of living in Connecticut especially the southwestern portion of the state can put a strain on the wallets of many working families.  Reining in federal spending is important. But it makes little sense for the federal government to rebuild neighborhoods in Iraq while neglecting them here.

Federal officials made the right choice in backpedaling from these proposals, which, while cutting the bloated federal budget, would have severely hurt many families in this region.

Use a reasonable blight ordinance

Most property owners understand the value of keeping their homes and property in good shape: buying a home is the largest single investment most people will make in their lives.

A well-maintained property can become a source of equity to help finance various needs in a homeowner's future.  But in any community, a certain number of property owners will not share that understanding and let their property fall into unsightly disrepair.  If they lived in a hollow in the middle of the woods, they might be able to argue that their style of living is nobody else's business.

But people who live in a neighborhood are obliged to consider the homeowners around them.  So the town of Fairfield was right to adopt an anti-blight ordinance recently to force certain property owners to clean up their acts.  After all, one person's neglected property should not be allowed to stain the face of a neighborhood and drag down the values of nearby properties.

The Fairfield ordinance lets the town's Condemnation board cite a property owner for violations and impose a $100-a-day fine if the shortcoming remains uncorrected after 30 days.  Fairfield officials rejected a plan that would have started the fines at a low of $25 a day. Their reasoning was that imposing different fines for violations could lead to charges of favoritism or unfairness.

While the town should enforce the ordinance vigorously, there should also be leeway for consideration to property owners who may be in a hardship situation that prevents them from immediately tending to their property.

The count is being conducted by The Advocates Group, a task force convened by the Human Services Council and comprised of over 40 public and private agencies.  The goal of the count is to provide an accurate record of the number of homeless living in this geographic area so that agencies can then develop a plan to work together to address the needs of the homeless.

"Having an accurate number of homeless in the area helps agencies apply for grants to serve them as well as help the agencies provide assistance to those who may not currently be associated with an agency," said Karen Schuessler of the Human Services Council.  The last time the count was taken was in March 2001. At that time, 372 households, which can be defined as a single person or a family, reported that they were homeless. Of those 372 respondents, 106 of them indicated that they were caring for minor dependent children.

The majority of the homeless respondents, 176, stated that they were currently utilizing the emergency shelter as a temporary/transitional housing. Among the reasons for being homeless: 58 respondents listed eviction; 20 listed release from a correctional institution; 69 said they had been released from a treatment program and 59 said they had financial difficulties.  Norwalk had the highest number of homeless people, with 303 of the respondents listing Norwalk as their hometown. Wilton had zero; Weston, two; Westport, 46; Stamford, 15; Greenwich, four; Darien, one and one individual did not list a town or city of origin.

"I think another important result of this survey is the increased awareness of the problem of homelessness in this area," said Jo-Ann Hand of the Human Services Council. "When people think of Fairfield County, they think of affluence and don't think of the fact that many individuals in this area are struggling to make ends meet." Both Hand and Schuessler believe that the 2004 homeless count will result in a higher number of homeless individuals in the area.

"Our prediction is that the number of homeless will be greater with this year's count," Schuessler said. "There are so many factors that contribute to homelessness and over the past two years, several of them have been present such as poor economy, loss of jobs and increased cost of living." On Jan. 30, The Advocates Group will offer training for the homeless count to members of the participating agencies. The count will take place from March 22 to 28.

For more information contact the Human Services Council at (203) 849-1111.