On Tuesday, April 28, the newly formed Newtown Senior Alliance hosted its first roundtable discussion on housing in Newtown. Newtown Senior Alliance is a collaboration between Newtown Senior Center, Friends of Newtown Seniors, and the Commission on Aging. Newtown Senior Alliance is to develop and host a new series of programs focused on issues that matter most to older adults. While creating these new programs, the group also aims to create a welcoming space where seniors can share perspectives, discuss challenges, and help shape local priorities through open dialogue and community driven conversations.

The official title of the roundtable was “Seniors' Perspective on Newtown Housing,” and it was hosted by FONS board members Ned Simpson and Joan Alexander. About 25 seniors came to the lively discussion. Participants had a lot to say regarding housing in town.

Simpson began the program by going over pre-survey results. The survey sent out to participants polled them on their thoughts regarding affordable housing, like how much they think “affordable housing” rent costs, how much they think a two-bedroom house costs, and if they own or rent their homes.

“We got 30 responses,” Simpson said. “This is not statistically significant, but it’s an indicator of what’s going on.” He then addressed the first question of affordable housing costs. Most people assumed that rent for an affordable housing unit would be around $1,400 per month.

“The actual number … is between $1,800 and $1,900 a month is what the state considers affordable,” Simpson explained. According to the affordable housing statute, or 8-30g, rent is stabilized at 80-60% of the area median income. Alexander later explained in the presentation that the median income in Newtown is about $148,000.

Simpson added, “When you get to $2,000 a month, I think we’re sort of in a different world of ‘affordable.’” He then showed a map from Zillow listing apartments available for rent in town, of which there were very few. He explained that if someone is looking to rent an apartment, they would have to go to Danbury or another city close by.

Simpson then discussed survey results regarding how people felt about their current homes fitting their family and its needs. While most people said yes, there were a few who said that they were looking to downsize, move, or were hoping for senior housing.

The perception of the Newtown housing market was bleak: 64% of survey respondents said they were unlikely to find their next home in town, 42% stated interest rates were a “big concern,” and 52.4% of people said it is a “seller’s market,” not a “buyer’s market.” Simpson then handed it off to Alexander.

Alexander went over more data regarding Newtown’s population (27,000), number of households (9,496), and homeownership rate (90%).

“That homeownership rate I thought was amazing, 90%. I’ve worked in about 13 states, and I have to tell you I think that’s one of the highest numbers I’ve ever seen,” Alexander began. Alexander also found that adults without high school diplomas was only four percent, and the poverty rate was five percent.

Alexander asked Natalie Griffith, director of Human Services, who was in the crowd, if she thought the poverty rate was accurate. Griffith said she could not quantify a percentage, but she said, “We’re very busy. I think there’s a large need that a lot of folks here don’t recognize that there is a level of financial need.”

Then there was discussion on population change. There was a steady growth from 1940-2020. There were about 19,000 people in town in 1990, and now there are about 27,000. Alexander then showed the population change by age group from 2010-2022, which described a 22% loss of children and a plus six percent growth of older adults.

A participant shared that young people are living with their parents due to the lack of financial resources, and another shared that there are a lot of mental health concerns due to mass violent occurrences, like shootings.

Alexander then discussed school enrollment rates. In 2021, there were about 4,000 children enrolled in the schools; now there are about 3,800. A few ideas were thrown out as to why there was a decline of children in town, like homeschooling children and the declining birth rate.

The discussion regarding youth in town continued with a participant saying that college-aged kids are not staying in town and are moving to other places — some moving to more affordable areas and some moving due to climate reasons. They also wondered if young people are moving to neighboring towns that have more apartments available.

Participants wondered if there was a way to track demographics in rental properties to determine if they are Newtowners that have stayed in town, if they are young couples, single people, and more.

One participant said that her biggest asset is her house and she does not think it is beneficial to young people to “stick them in a rental apartment” paying $2,200 a month in rent compared to $2,500 for a mortgage. She raised concerns about them having “nothing.” Alexander then briefly shared mortgage programs that allow first-time buyers to borrow down payments.

This generated a lot of discussion about younger generations and how they choose to spend their money, like investing in stocks rather than purchasing a home. Alexander then refocused the group and briefly discussed race and ethnicities per 100 students in town. Connecticut at large has a smaller population of Asian and Black students compared to white and Latino students. In Newtown, the majority of students are white, but Alexander noted that there is a rise in Latino students coming to town.

“We are a very white community,” Alexander said, “and yet you have young people who want diversity.”

Pat Bailey, chair of the Commission on Aging, shared that as people can afford to buy houses, they look to relocate outside of cities and into more rural or suburban areas, which leaves Newtown as a top pick.

“Our Latino community is growing exponentially,” Bailey said, “and we’re welcoming that … Newtown is changing, and they’re bringing money. They’re not buying small houses, at least not in my neighborhood.”

Then there was discussion of available homes in town, of which there were 32. Alexander said there was a risk of people overpaying for houses, as there was a 300% housing cost increase since 1990.

The discussion continued on various topics, like inflation and what housing costs are in other states.

Towards the end, Simpson took the floor again and asked the group if they believed there was a housing crisis in Newtown. Most people raised their hands; a few did not, referencing the amount of incoming development.

Simpson drafted a few questions that he plans to research and provide answers to through the FONS newsletter. The next roundtable discussion is scheduled for Tuesday, May 26.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.