🔥 HB 8002: The Bill They Swear Is About Homelessness… But Isn’t
If you think HB 8002 is a “homelessness bill,” you’ve already taken the bait.
Look closer and the real story isn’t compassion — it’s control.
Here’s the truth in one shot:
👉 This bill hands the state the steering wheel of every town’s zoning code.
Density, parking, moratoria, approvals — the decisions your neighbors used to make?
Now routed through Hartford.
👉 Mandatory high-density zones across 10% of every town.
Not a suggestion. Not optional. Required.
👉 Housing quotas set by the state.
Your town doesn’t even decide its own targets anymore.
👉 Funding becomes leverage.
Schools, sewers, transit dollars — all tied to your town obeying the plan.
👉 A new Housing Council + OPM + DOH gain override authority.
Local zoning commissions become spectators.
And here’s the kicker:
⚠️ 104 pages… and almost nothing addresses homelessness.
Just a trailer pilot and a tiny rental-assistance test program.
No new shelters.
No supportive housing.
No long-term services.
So what does HB 8002 actually do?
It transforms Connecticut zoning from local rule to state command — with quotas, density mandates, and funding pressure to force compliance. This is a centralized land-use system wrapped in the language of compassion.
đź’¬ Bottom Line:
HB 8002 isn’t a homelessness solution. It’s a statewide zoning takeover dressed as reform — and towns lose far more than they gain.
If people care about local control, transparency, or honest policymaking, this is the bill they need to read before it reads them.
