Fairfield Housing Corporation is a non-profit developer that operates in Fairfield County, Connecticut. FHC has developed and rehabilitated several properties to date, providing affordable housing to hundreds of low income families in the Fairfield area. 

The FHC is governed by a Board of Directors, and conducts its business in accordance with the FHC By laws.  The Directors of the FHC are Carol D. Landsman, Rita Ortiga Waterman and Gerry Stuhlman.

Although housing authorities have a strong relationship with local, state, and federal governments, they are actually independent agencies. Charted under state law, a housing authority is an autonomous, not-for-profit public authority. It is a public body corporate and politic under the law.  This organizational structure allows housing authorities to work in conjunction with local governments and agencies to develop long-term housing strategies for addressing the community’s needs. 

Under Connecticut General Statutes, Chapter 128, housing authorities are created in each municipality of the state by governing body of the municipality via a resolution declaring that there is need for a housing authority in the municipality, provided it shall find (1) that insanitary or unsafe inhabited dwelling accommodations exist in the municipality or (2) that there is a shortage of safe or sanitary dwelling accommodations in the municipality available to families of low income at rentals they can afford or (3) that there is a shortage of safe or sanitary dwelling accommodations in the municipality available to families of moderate income at rentals they can afford.

The chief executive officer of the municipality shall appoint five persons who are residents of said municipality as commissioners of the authority, and one commissioner must be a “tenant of the authority”.   A “tenant of the authority” means a tenant who lives in housing owned or managed by a housing authority or who is receiving housing assistance in a housing program directly administered by such authority.  Commissioners shall be appointed to serve for five years, and all must be residents of the municipality.

No commissioner of an authority may hold any public office in the municipality for which the authority is created; however, a commissioner of an authority may serve as a justice of the peace or a registrar of voters.  The commissioners shall serve without compensation, but shall be entitled to reimbursement for their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties.

The Housing Authority of the Town of Fairfield (aka the Fairfield Housing Authority) was created by the Fairfield Board of Selectmen by adoption of a Resolution on January 29, 1964, creating the Housing Authority. 

The duties are defined in Connecticut General Statutes, Section 8-44, which sets out the “powers” of the Housing Authority which briefly are described, in part, as follows:

Within its area of operation, to prepare, carry out, acquire, lease and operate housing projects and to provide for the construction, reconstruction, improvement, alteration or repair of any housing 

project or any part thereof either directly or in the form of loans or other similar assistance to developers.

To promote the creation and preservation of housing for low and moderate income persons and families, either directly or through an agency or instrumentality designated or appointed by the authority, by lending or otherwise making available to developers the proceeds from the sale of obligations which are tax-exempt pursuant to the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as from time to time amended, or Section 11(b) of the United States Housing Act of 1937, as amended, or any successor provisions amendatory or supplementary thereto, provided no such obligations or other notes or securities issued by any agency or instrumentality designated or approved by the authority pursuant to the provisions of this subdivision, shall create or imply any indebtedness of any kind on the part of the housing authority, the state, or any political subdivision thereof; and to exercise all or any part or combination of powers herein granted. No provision of law with respect to the operation or disposition of property by other public bodies shall be applicable to an authority unless the General Assembly specifically so states.

The current data measured by many independent sources clearly confirms the shortage of low and moderate rental units in Fairfield.  Further, the Town of Fairfield has a long history of attempting to address the shortage of rental housing for low- and moderate-income families.  The Affordable Housing Committee report completed in November 2014 does an excellent job in setting out action steps to address the housing needs in Fairfield and diversifying the housing stock.  This problem is not unique to Fairfield, and is prevalent throughout Fairfield County. Finally, the Housing Authority rarely opens up its wait lists and accepts housing applications.  When we are able to open up our wait lists, and provide housing applications, we typically receive hundreds of applications for our properties.  The portfolio of the Fairfield Housing Authority contains 80 rental units, and approximately 75-80 housing choice vouchers (“HCV”). The Housing Choice Voucher program is federal rental assistance provided to private landlords to assist recipients of a voucher in securing a rental unit in Fairfield.  

The majority of applications received are from Fairfield residents or individuals/families working in Fairfield or who have lived in Fairfield previously.  The availability of rental units in Fairfield for low- and moderate-income families falls grossly below the number of inquiries that the Fairfield Housing Authority receives on a daily basis.

The Fairfield Housing Authority created the Fairfield Housing Corporation and Trefoil, LLC in March 2013 for the refinancing of the Trefoil Court Apartments.  The Housing Authority was not an eligible applicant for the HUD refinancing program for the Trefoil Apartments, so the Housing Authority created an organizational structure to accomplish the refinancing.   This refinancing was successful, and provided both the capital improvements to Trefoil Court Apartments, as well as the needed equity to make payments to the Federal Government for the Housing Choice Voucher program.   The new structure was not created to evade restrictions, or expand the powers of the authority.  The creation of nonprofit Corporations, LLC’s and Limited Partnerships are common for Housing Authorities in the State, and across the country.  The purpose is typically to allow Housing Authorities to access funding sources, and to create organizational structures that allow for the Housing Authority to maintain control over operations and management while also limiting liability to the Housing Authority.

The Fairfield Housing Authority may only operate in the Town of Fairfield, unless the “area of operation” is expanded to include a neighboring municipality, provided that the governing body of such neighboring municipality agrees by proper resolution to the extension of the area of operation to include such neighboring municipality.  

The purpose of Fairfield Housing Corporation (“FHC”) is to expand and maintain the availability of affordable housing in the town of Fairfield and the surrounding geographic area.  FHC may acquire, develop, manage, rehabilitate, create and preserve affordable housing opportunities for the benefit of low and moderate income individuals, families, and the elderly, to manage quality affordable housing and provide services that help low and moderate income residents to maintain and increase their independence, and to collaborate with neighboring towns to achieve these goals. To this end, FHC may make low interest bridge loans and/or grants to related entities in connection with affordable housing projects it is developing, or apply for loans and grants that are specifically provided to non-profit corporations.  The FHC is a not for profit entity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and the sole member of the Fairfield Housing Corporation is the Fairfield Housing Authority.

The Fairfield Housing Corporation’s By Laws set forth the relationship with its sole member, the Fairfield Housing Authority.  The Fairfield Housing Authority maintains control of the FHC by electing and removing the Directors of the FHC.

No, the Fairfield Housing Authority does not provide funds to the Fairfield Housing Corporation.  The Fairfield Housing Authority does provide services to Trefoil, LLC and Pine Tree Housing Limited Partnership and is paid for these services under an administrative services agreement with each entity.

The primary source for its funding is through redevelopment or development projects, where fees are earned.  The FHC may also accept donations, perform fund-raising activities, and apply for loans and/or grants.