Fair Housing Advisory Commission

Regular Meeting

Norwalk, CT · September 15, 2025

Minutes

REGULAR MEETING – FAIR HOUSING ADVISORY COMMISSION AGENDA September 15th, 2025, 3:00 PM VIRTUAL MEETING VIA ZOOM Attendance: Rev. Richard Clarke, Joseph Mann, Alexandra Sollazzo, LMSW, Carol Frank, Jalin T. Sead (Chair) I. CALL TO ORDER Mr. Sead called the meeting to order at 3:05 PM. II. ROLL CALL Mr. Sead called the roll and announced there was a quorum present. Commissioners present were Rev. Richard Clarke, Alexandra Sollazzo, LMSW, Joseph Mann, and Carol Frank. III. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES A. Regular Meeting – August 18, 2025 The minutes of the August 18, 2025, meeting was reviewed. A motion to approve was made and seconded. With no corrections or discussion, the minutes were approved unanimously. IV. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION No members of the public requested time, and no written comments had been submitted in advance. V. OLD BUSINESS No old business was discussed. City of Norwalk Fair Housing Commission Regular Meeting September 15, 2025 VI. NEW BUSINESS A. Fair Housing Officer’s Report Fair Housing Officer Zabrina Román reported that the office received 20 complaints, of which 11 were fair housing related. All 11 came from tenants living in rental units and primarily involved disability discrimination and denial of reasonable accommodations. Fourteen cases remain active and are under 1 investigation or mediation. Three cases were closed and submitted to HUD for review, and two were referred to legal aid, including one matter where a landlord was improperly billing common-area utilities to a tenant’s meter. Ms. Román also shared several updates to the Fair Housing website. These include the addition of a reasonable accommodation letter generator powered by Connecticut Fair Housing to ensure proper legal verbiage, new “Know Your Rights” pamphlets for every protected class, a brief history of the Fair Housing Officer role, and links to the office’s social media accounts to make resources more accessible. Regarding outreach, she announced that virtual training with Norwalk Housing Authority staff is scheduled for September 25, 2025. She will present anonymized local case examples to make the training relevant to Norwalk. Social media engagement has been strong, with over 1,200 accounts reached in the past 30 days. The most-engaged post highlighted voter participation in the local primary election and its connection to housing affordability. The office’s LinkedIn page received 41 visits, driving additional traffic to the website. Ms. Román also reported receiving a phone call containing concerning remarks. While there were no threats or slurs and she did not feel unsafe, she documented the incident. She explained her current caseload of about 20 active cases and walked the commission through her investigative process, which involves reviewing leases, correspondence, and documentation before determining appropriate next steps and collaborating with the Fair Rent office when necessary. She noted that call volume has slightly decreased recently, which she attributes to the start of the school year and increased use of online tools such as the accommodation letter generator. Looking ahead, Ms. Román is prioritizing planning for a Fair Housing Month event in 2026 and is considering converting her original idea for a video series into a virtual film screening focused on housing justice from multiple perspectives, including LGBTQ+ housing history. During discussion, commissioners expressed support for the Fair housing office. Chair Sead acknowledged Ms. Román’s contributions during her first six months in the role and praised her initiative and dedication to expanding the office’s work. VII. ADJOURNMENT With no further business, a motion to adjourn was made and seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 3:25 PM. Respectfully submitted, Zabrina Román Fair Housing Officer, City of Norwalk City of Norwalk Fair Housing Commission Regular Meeting 2 September 15, 2025 3

Agenda

Packet

REGULAR MEETING – FAIR HOUSING ADVISORY COMMISSION AGENDA SEPTEMBER 15, 2025, 3:00 PM VIRTUALLY VIA ZOOM To allow public access, anyone may access a meeting by telephone and/or Zoom, or a recording in the City of Norwalk YouTube channel. Specific instructions and links can be found at norwalkct.gov/meetings. Members of the public may call in to participate. Callers will not be able to see the meeting participants. All participants will be muted upon entering the meeting. To speak, dial *9 on the phone and you will be called on by the host of the meeting during the public comment section. All speakers must state their name and address. Comments must be on a topic on the agenda, and are limited to three minutes. Anyone disrupting the orderly conduct of the meeting, including by using threatening, hateful, or sexually-explicit language, will be removed. Please find the information using the link above. Members of the public who wish to provide "live comments" may also use the Zoom meeting platform. All participants will be muted upon entering the meeting. To speak, click the “raise your hand indicator” and you will be called by the host of the meeting during the public comment section. All speakers must state their name and address. Comments must be on a topic on the agenda, and are limited to three minutes. Anyone disrupting the orderly conduct of the meeting, including by using threatening, hateful, or sexually-explicit language, will be removed. Please find the information using the link above. Members of the public who wish to provide public comment are encouraged to submit those via email in advance of the meeting. For these comments to be included into the record, they must be submitted by 12:00 p.m. the day of the meeting. Please email Zabrina Roman at ZRoman@norwalkct.gov with the subject line “Public Comment” to provide written public comment prior to the meeting. I. CALL TO ORDER II. ROLL CALL III. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES A. Regular Meeting Minutes: 8.18.25 1. Meeting Minutes 8/18/2025 IV. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION V. OLD BUSINESS VI. NEW BUSINESS A. Fair Housing Officer Report Page 1 of 4 VII. ADJOURNMENT Page 2 of 4 REGULAR MEETING – FAIR HOUSING ADVISORY COMMISSION AGENDA August 18th, 2025, 3:00 PM VIRTUAL MEETING VIA ZOOM Attendance: Rev. Richard Clarke, Joseph Mann, Alexandra Sollazzo, LMSW, Brenda Penn Williams, Daisy Franklin, Jalin T. Sead (Chair) I. CALL TO ORDER Mr. Sead called the meeting to order at 3:03 PM. II. ROLL CALL Mr. Sead called the roll and announced there was a quorum present. Commissioners present were Rev. Richard Clarke, Alexandra Sollazzo, LMSW, Joseph Mann, Brenda Penn Williams, and Daisy Franklin. III. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES A. Regular Meeting – June 16, 2025 The minutes of the regular meeting held on June 16, 2025, were reviewed. A motion to approve the minutes was made, seconded, and unanimously carried. IV. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION No members of the public requested time, and no written comments had been submitted in advance. V. OLD BUSINESS Commissioner Daisy Franklin inquired about the previously planned “Survival of a Small City” event. Fair Housing Officer Zabrina Román explained that the event was postponed due to low RSVP responses, which did not warrant the resources required. She is awaiting confirmation of room availability to reschedule the program, with September being considered as a possible timeframe. Zabrina noted that her workload managing case investigations takes priority, but she intends to move the event forward once scheduling is finalized. Commissioners acknowledged the challenge of balancing casework and event planning. City of Norwalk Fair Housing Commission Regular Meeting August 18, 2025 1 Page 3 of 4 VI. NEW BUSINESS A. Fair Housing Officer’s Report Fair Housing Officer Zabrina Román reported that the office has remained active since the June meeting, handling new fair housing complaints, assisting tenants with reasonable accommodation requests, and continuing landlord education. She noted that disability discrimination and voucher refusal remain frequent issues. Zabrina provided updates on new housing developments, including the Meadows Gardens redevelopment and a planned senior housing project, both of which she said reflect important fair housing principles. Commissioners discussed the significance of these projects in expanding affordable and accessible housing options in Norwalk. A substantial part of the discussion focused on immigration and housing. Zabrina shared concerns about the chilling effect of recent ICE activity in Norwalk and emphasized that her office does not track immigration status. Alexandra Sollazzo introduced a Latino Outreach program through Family & Children’s Agency, which prompted debate among commissioners. While some viewed the program as a valuable resource, others expressed concern about its exclusivity. Commissioners agreed on the importance of equitable support for all communities. Zabrina also addressed policy developments, including the Governor’s veto of HB 5002, a housing bill that would have spread affordable housing responsibility more evenly across towns. Commissioners voiced interest in supporting future advocacy efforts when the bill is revisited. Finally, Zabrina highlighted the impact of social media outreach. Instagram and LinkedIn activity has led directly to new case referrals, with multilingual posts helping to reach a wider audience. Commissioners praised her efforts, and there was additional discussion about the heavy workload of the office and the possibility of pursuing an intern in the future. VII. ADJOURNMENT Chair Jalin Sead commended the commissioners for their commitment to fairness and equity and encouraged them to remain active in the community. A motion to adjourn was made and seconded, and the meeting was adjourned at 3:39 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Zabrina Román Fair Housing Officer, City of Norwalk City of Norwalk Fair Housing Commission Regular Meeting August 18, 2025 2 Page 4 of 4