Housing is a Human Right

 

“. . .but it is private property. The owners can do what they want.” Environmentalists hear such statements repeatedly.

On Friday, November 17, 2023, some of the homeless who live outdoors in Waterbury heard it with devastating consequences.

 

At least a dozen men and women were uprooted from their tent city in Waterbury near the Naugatuck River. The Saint Vincent DePaul Waterbury Shelter was filled to capacity. One woman came from Meriden looking for shelter but the 108 beds there were already taken. She had no choice but to live outdoors in the tent encampment.

 

Now, she had nowhere to go. 

 

As trees were being cut down with chainsaws around her, anger spilled out. “This sucks. The city needs to buy the land and put us all back.” (Wtby Rep-Am)

 

As is often the case, one of the men was a veteran. He indicated that they had no notice of the eviction.

 

The company, Durable Radiator, owns the land along Thomaston Ave.

 

Complicating the issues is that many Waterbury apartments have been scooped up by absentee landlords. Many are from out-of-state. Rents have gone through the roof.

 

With COVID money drying up, more people are on the streets.

 

With an irony not lost on the homeless, a tour of the encampment was taking place as they were being evicted. United Way of Greater Waterbury scheduled the visit unaware of the disruption.

 

One of those on the tour was State Representative Lezlye W. Zupkus (R) of Prospect. She said it was difficult to watch.

 

She added, “I don’t see the company as the bad guy.” Zupkus then said in a statement right out of a Charles Dickens novel, “. . .I understand businesses need to grow.” (WTBY Rep-Am)

 

To paraphrase Martin Luther King, as the bombs drop in Gaza, they land in the Naugatuck Valley. Money from the almost one trillion dollar military budget needs to be moved for housing, climate change mitigation and other human needs.

 

Also fitting is this year’s Amistad theme. “It’s an Enough is Enough Moment – Time to Organize.”

 

For the booklet, “Housing is a Human Right”. Email ct-cpusa@pobox.com