Following the event, Murphy said the state's shortage of housing is "most acute" in Fairfield County, where costs have eclipsed an affordable level for local families, many of whom depend on proximity to employment in New York City.

"If you look at supply versus demand statistics, Connecticut stands out," Murphy said. "We have the tightest housing supply in the nation."

The town hall marked the last of Murphy's four-stop, housing-focused "listening tour" that included events in Wethersfield, Windham and Waterbury, according to a release from his office. Murphy said although Connecticut's housing shortage is one of the worst in the country, it's part of a broader national issue of excessive housing costs and limited supply.

Murphy opened the event with his own takeaways from the first three events, pointing to greater federal investment in housing, tax credits that should go to renters and developers, more public housing and support for young people and families as some of the most critical priorities to address the state's housing problems. He said developments led by private equity firms and hedge funds in the state play a role in the high eviction rates and poor housing conditions that keep locals out of affordable homes.

"As a matter of economic development, as a matter of keeping families together, as a matter of just trying to protect people's survival when they're doing everything we asked, we need to figure this out," he said.

Connecticut ranks as the 48th state in the country in housing starts per capita, Murphy addded. 

Four attendees shared their experiences witnessing the underlying drivers of homelessness in Fairfield County, from the abandoned homes of Bridgeport to a public housing waitlist overflow in Westport.

Katia Lafontant, a resident of Bridgeport, pressed Murphy for help addressing the spread of vacant housing units in disrepair in Bridgeport. She said banks are unwilling to help residents refinance these homes while the effects of homelessness clamps down on people with limited physical abilities and senior citizens.

"After working at a homeless shelter, I realize that a lot of people don't choose to become homeless," she said. "Life can actually just happen, especially during COVID and after COVID. We need your help."

Carol Martin, the executive director of Westport's and Fairfield's housing authorities, said the Westport Housing Authority recently opened its waitlist for its 221 apartments and received 3,000 paper applications within three weeks. She estimated the authority would have received about 30,000 applications if locals could submit them online.

She suggested an expanded tax credit program, more funding for the federal government's HOME grant for affordable housing and project-based rental assistance as potential solutions. 

"I've been working in this sector now for decades," she said. "This is the worst I've ever seen it."

Murphy identified homelessness as the outcome of the high cost of living and shortage of vacancy across the rest of the state, which he said has the lowest vacancy rate in the country. He said the federal government needs to build more units and expand its plan to support unhoused people beyond just veterans and those aging out of juvenile detention. He said people with a criminal record or "blemish" on their credit history could submit upwards of 40 applications without any approvals.

Kathryn Braun, a member of Fairfield's Town Plan and Zoning Commission, pushed back against some of the state's efforts to increase housing developments in Connecticut, like proposed legislation to increase housing density near train stations. She said in the case of the Fairfield Metro Station, that means more housing prone to flooding, adding that state officials should be cognizant of open space when considering developments.

Braun said she agreed with Murphy's advocacy for state-led incentives for housing through down payment assistance, and she suggested turning blighted units into Section 8 housing, where low-income families can receive rental assistance, as an alternative.

"It's sort of a bludgeoning approach instead of a scalpel approach," she said. "I find it doesn't accommodate enough for local characteristics."

Murphy said although he's open to discuss ways to preserve the character of the state, Connecticut needs to avoid a "yankee resistance" against developments that could help children remain in the state as they grow up.

Murphy later said he has sensed some resistance to housing legislation the state passed last month, which dropped proposed requirements for increased affordable housing construction in municipalities. Murphy said the ability for local leaders to block affordable housing construction has become "way too easy," and he hopes locals can help find way to remove roadblocks in the way of housing production.

"For the people here who have opposed those reform efforts, I would hope they would have some concrete alternative suggestions on how we could build more housing or just simply admit that their goal is to keep housing prices high," Murphy said.

Murphy said after hearing constituent feedback during four stops of his housing tour, increasing federal funding for affordable housing, preventing discrimination against low-income renters and supporting local and state housing reform efforts will be the top housing priorities from his federal office.

"I want to make sure we're focused on solutions," he said.