U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson plans to visit a Willington home on Monday to inspect severe cracks in the foundation caused by pyrrhotite, a mineral that expands with moisture.
Carson will be joined at the home of Maggie and Vincent Perracchio by Connecticut Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal and Representative Joe Courtney. The lawmakers have been working with the Trump administration to help dozens of families in central and eastern Connecticut whose homes used concrete from a now-closed quarry in Willington that contained pyrrhotite.
Murphy invited Carson to visit Connecticut to see the damage and hear firsthand from homeowners. He and Blumenthal have introduced legislation to provide up to $100 million over five years from HUD to states that have created programs to help damage to residential structures from crumbling foundations.
More than 635 homeowners have reported the problem to the state Department of Consumer Protection, but the problem is thought to be much bigger and some say it could impact as many as 30,000 homes.
Homeowners have been hesitant to come forward because the problem could mean their home is worthless and many don’t have the $150,000 to $200,000 it would take to replace the foundation. Repairing the foundations is not an option — they must be replaced.
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