The Bridgeport Housing Authority clarified residents’ concerns over a rumored mass eviction.
In March, affordable housing provider Park City Communities, was alerted to a Connecticut Post article which said that people living in more than 500 units were behind on rent and facing eviction.
The belief that 500 units, which amounts to about 2,000 Park City residents, would be evicted was a misconstrual of information shared with the city council, according to Park City Executive Director, Jillian Baldwin.
In outlining where the authority’s financials stood, Baldwin said residents assumed it meant evictions were imminent.
“This is a prime opportunity for us to shine a light on what could be a very serious issue in the coming four, five, six months if we don't start to have a community conversation about these impacts,” Baldwin said.
Bridgeport has about $4.6 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that need to be allocated. Baldwin wrote to the council, requesting that some of the funds be shared with Park City to help pay back rent and potentially avoid having to implement evictions.
“There is $1.5 million and rental arrears on the books, that dollar amount is inclusive of 502 households who currently sit in delinquent status,” Baldwin said. “If we don't come up with a collective solution, these families can be facing evictions in the coming months.”
The numbers, however, fluctuate almost weekly, based on resident employment and when rent is due. Within three weeks of the initial 500-arrearage reporting, the number of people behind on rent dropped to 385, Baldwin said.
Renters behind on payment increased since the COVID-19 pandemic, but the authority was plagued with unpaid rent for years.
In 2018 the authority was seeking $485,000 in unpaid rent. By 2021, arrears climbed to $818,000, according to Baldwin.
Park City recently came out of “troubled” status, a HUD designation. The authority was considered troubled starting in 2014, due to poor grades of building and financial management along with the state of its aging low-income developments.
