Contrary to the sentiments in the press release mistakenly shared by the CT Coalition of Property Owners and the CT Property Owners Alliance in error, tenants in Connecticut need assistance because they have been severely impacted by the economic effects of the pandemic and an unbalanced economy that concentrates wealth at the top. The State should not make policy based on harmful tropes like those found in the press release claiming, “the people that are not paying never intended to pay so there is no reason for them to apply for the funds, these tenants are most of the 19,000 that try to live for free annually in CT… once they apply, they need to start paying rent again and that’s not what they want to do.” This attitude illustrates both the need for a Right to Counsel for tenants facing eviction as well as why the Governor and/or Connecticut legislature should require landlords to participate in UniteCT. Tenants must be protected from the landlords who believe that the Governor “needs his ass-kicked” because he dared to protect vulnerable Connecticut residents. Please join us as we work to ensure that tenants are protected from the landlords who believe tenants deserve to be punished for being poor.

Here is the link to the original post made by John Souza, President – CT Coalition of Property Owners: https://bit.ly/3wmeUnS

The following is an additional statement by John Souza:

– Since the beginning of the moratorium,  housing providers have been severely restricted from collecting rents  even though there have been multiple stimulus payments and never ending extended unemployment benefits. We have been asked to provide a public service without much public help….Now many are at the breaking point! 

– It’s time to end the eviction moratorium to help flush out the unscrupulous residents taking advantage of our state’s good will and let the court system work… If we combine this with an expansion of the UniteCT program to remove caps on amounts and allow all arrearages to be paid to incentivize property providers to participate in the program, then no truly needy families will lose their homes.

– Our goals are the same as the tenant advocates: To keep good people living in peace in their homes but we need to get the tools and funds to do it.  If the eviction moratorium was a public benefit in hard times, then the Governor should fund it fully now. Property providers can’t continue to carry this burden alone any longer. 

– Because we can’t remove  a tenant who is terrorizing other tenants,  the normal checks and balances of a well-run apartment community have broken down and the most vulnerable residents are held hostage by the governor’s good intentions gone bad. End the moratorium and open the courts fully to allow good tenants to live in peace.

– 35 states including Massachusetts, have lifted their moratoriums  and there hasn’t been a flood of homelessness because the rental assistance programs were ready to assist the truly needy.

The following is a statement from Ann Baldwin, President of Baldwin Media Strategic Communications: “I want to profusely apologize for inappropriate comments that were sent out earlier this afternoon.  These were never intended to be included in any press outreach. This is not the way that any of the landlords who are truly suffering would want to be portrayed.  Unfortunately, the words of one person during a round table discussion got included in the message.

Somehow they were inadvertently included into talking points that were sent out.  These were NOT the words of John Souza, President of the CT Coalition of Property Owners and to him we also apologize.

This was a very blatant and unfortunate mistake made by a person in my agency, however I take full responsibility for this error.  Below are the intended remarks. Thank you for your understanding.”

Here is a statement given by Dirk Perrefort, Media Contact on behalf of the Connecticut Coalition of Property Owners:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Connecticut Coalition of Property Owners President Apologizes For Statements Inaccurately Attributed To Him

WEST HARTFORD, CT – John Souza, president of the Connecticut Coalition of Property Owners, issued a sincere apology today for statements that were inaccurately attributed to him in a press release distributed Wednesday.

“I cannot express enough the profound distress and utter disappointment for words released to the media that were not my own and do not express the feelings of myself or the organization,” Souza said. “A press release sent out Wednesday by a media consultant inaccurately attributed statements to me that were not my own. I would never condone violence against the Governor or anyone else, even in jest.”

“I have great respect for the Governor and the work that he’s done for Connecticut,” he added. “I would love to continue working with the administration, like I have with past administrations, to ensure the needs of landlords are met while maintaining a safe and quality rental housing stock for Connecticut residents.”

Souza said he and the organization will continue to work towards helping landlords and tenants during this difficult time and is asking state officials to expand the UniteCT program.

“Our goals are the same as the tenant advocates: To keep good people living in peace in their homes, but we need to get the tools and funds to do it. If we open the eviction courts, combined with an expansion of the UniteCT program that removes caps on amounts and allow all arrearages to be paid to incentivize property providers, then no truly needy families will lose their homes.”

35 states including Massachusetts, have lifted their moratoriums.