By Sarah Opdahl

At the Tuesday, August 5 meeting of the Housing Opportunities Committee (HOC), members discussed their upcoming open house meeting on Wednesday, September 17. The date will serve as a second regular meeting for the HOC that month and members of housing adjacent boards, commissions, and committees will be invited to provide an update on their slice of affordable housing information. The public is more than welcome to attend, as the group is eager to continue  collecting feedback from residents.

HOC Chair Ms. Anita Brown explained that she and Ms. Kathleen DiTullio recently met with the group’s housing consultant, Ms. Jocelyn Ayer of The Housing Collective.  Ayer  suggested that the open house be added to the calendar, also keeping the regular meeting date of Tuesday, September 2 in place for planning and to avoid the hustle and bustle as residents flip to “the structured life of fall.” The September 17 date will serve as the group’s “annual meeting,” which was specified as a goal in the Town’s Affordable Housing Plan and will be held in the New Fairfield Community Room, adjacent to the Senior Center. Representatives from the Board of Selectmen, the Zoning Commission, and the Planning Commission will be asked to present  information regarding “what they saw happening” to support affordable housing.

Ayer also encouraged the HOC to invite Mr. Justin Potter, President of the Kent Affordable Housing Committee, to attend and speak about Kent’s process, which is very robust in comparison to New Fairfield’s. Also, the HOC would likely start the meeting with their “roadshow” that they have presented to several groups in Town. Brown hopes a crowd will “come and hear what we have to say,” including what the various town entities’ “take is on how they have contributed, what they have done, and what they see us doing going forward.” Brown also added that their guest speaker, Potter, is willing to share important details about their successes and real data about financials and more.

Brown is considering best ways to get the word out about the open house/annual meeting, saying that she will do a write up for the Town Tribune and the Town Hall newsletter. Other members, including Ms. Kathy Hull, Ms. Roberta Anderson, and Ms. Liz Yoho, will work to update social media with information about the event, which will be made easier once a flyer is developed with Ayer’s help.

Continuing their discussion on social media opportunities, the group agreed that increasing their online presence would be a wise move. One fun engagement involved comical photos of Brown riding in a small car in the 4th of July Parade.

There was a brief update on how the roadshows are progressing, with acknowledgement that it can be tough to speedily get on the local group agendas. Brown expressed that she and others will persevere to hold those road shows. Members also look forward to participating in New Fairfield Day on Saturday, September 27.

Brown explained that the New Fairfield Housing Trust (“Trust”)  is on hiatus for summer but will soon hold their bigger annual meeting on Thursday, September 4. She plans to send out an email blast to all residents who have expressed interest in affordable housing to let them know about the meeting. Brown is hopeful for the future Trust initiatives, saying, “we are working on reinvigorating.”

The next regular New Fairfield Housing Opportunities Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 2, 7:30 p.m.