WILLINGTON — U.S. Housing Secretary Ben Carson has pledged to work with federal, state and local officials to help Connecticut residents whose homes are falling apart because of defective concrete foundations.
Carson visited the home of Maggie and Vincent Perracchio in Willington on Monday. Cracks began forming in their basement walls about three years ago and have spread upstairs.
An estimated 30,000 or more houses in eastern and central Connecticut have failing foundations blamed on the mineral pyrrhotite in concrete mixtures.
Carson was joined by members of Connecticut's congressional delegation. Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy said thousands of Massachusetts homes could also be affected.
Murphy and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal are sponsoring bills that would provide $200 million in aid to homeowners. Half the money would come from Carson's agency.