Gov. Lamont — who vetoed a highly anticipated pro-housing bill in June — says his state will not criminalize homelessness or force the institutionalization of unhoused people.
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont avowed that his state will not comply with President Trump’s order to criminalize homelessness and forcibly institutionalize unhoused people, reports Ebong Udoma for WSHU.
In a news briefing at the state capitol, the governor addressed Trump directly, saying, “homelessness is not a crime. Not here in Connecticut and not in America.” The governor pointed to housing investors who drive up rent costs and the overall shortage of affordable housing as causes of the homelessness crisis, adding that “We’ve got to stand up for those folks on fixed incomes. They don’t have any options. Those are the fastest group of people who are homeless right now.”
The governor said the state is attempting to tackle the crisis through a housing bill that aims to spur more housing construction. However, Lamont vetoed a housing bill in late June that promoted density and transit-oriented development, saying it left local officials with too little decision-making power.
FULL STORY: CT will not comply with Trump's order to criminalize homelessness
Trump Executive Order on Homelessness Calls for Forced Institutionalization
The order seeks to remove legal precedents and consent decrees that prevent cities from moving unhoused people from the street to treatment centers.
Indiana bans public homelessness
A new law prohibits sleeping or camping on public property.
Federal cuts to voucher program put 9,000 New Yorkers at risk of homelessness
The Emergency Housing Voucher program is ending years ahead of schedule, forcing housing agencies to find new ways to support roughly 70,000 households nationwide.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association