HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) - It’s sold as the American Dream: the yard, the white picket fence, but for thousands in Connecticut, owning a home now looks and feels like an impossible dream.

Every night this week, the I-Team is digging into different parts of the affordable housing crisis in the state, from the bad policies advocates say lead to this crisis, to the solutions the state is looking into.

Navigating the housing market these days feels almost like playing a game of Monopoly you’re destined to lose.

You might roll the dice and land on the property you want, but that money in the bank isn’t enough and you aren’t collecting $200 every time you pass go.

The people we’ve talked to say you’re lucky if you even get a turn.

For Rowan Bard, the house across the street represents what she hopes to have one day.

”I love the porch, the little lamp. It sits so perfectly,” says Bard. “One of my biggest goals in life. It’s one of my biggest dreams, I would love to be a homeowner.”

But at 30 years old, she’s not confident she’ll reach that dream anytime soon.

”Unfortunately it just doesn’t seem like it’s going to be an option for me if things keep going the way they are,” says Bard. “The costs have just soared.”

It’s almost like drawing the go-to-jail card every time. First, you have the cost of homes going up.

In fact, in Connecticut, the median price of a home rose 44% in 4 years, going from $271,000 in 2019 to $389,300 in 2023.

Then come the mortgage rates which currently sit between 6-7%. Add in inflation, higher property insurance prices, cost of living expenses, players aren’t moving.

”There’s a lot of discouragement because of that,” says Bridgette Russell.

Russell sees the discouragement every day, through her work with Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven, a non-profit that not only builds and renovates homes, but helps people across the state, buy and stay in them.

”Our job is really with prospective customers who want to purchase homes and also existing homeowners who might be distressed, behind in their mortgage trying to save their home,” says Russell.

Russell’s job, as director of their Homeownership Center, is to bring optimism and options.

”We have homebuyer education classes, landlord training, and financial boot camp,” says Russell. “We’re going to talk about the different down payment and closing cost programs that are available.”

She says most people don’t even know where to begin or what financial resources are even available to them.

Resources like the Federal Home Loan Bank which can provide up to $30,000 in grants or assistance.

State programs like Time to Own , which can give first time homebuyers up to $50,000 in forgivable loans.

Even the town or city you want to move to might have something, Russell says.

”If you’re going to buy in New Haven, the livable city initiatives have their program up to $20,000. I know Hamden has a program as well, that’s a grant program. West Haven, that’s a matching program up to $7500,” says Russell.

And these programs, in many cases, can be used together.

”Sometimes people can get maybe 50,60,70,000 worth of down payment and closing cost assistance which can make all the difference,” says Russell. “The fact of the matter, you do your homework.”

Russell believes part of the solution to this crisis is having as many down payment and closing cost programs as possible with the proper funding of course, because competition is fierce and funding is limited.

“This problem, this affordable housing crisis, is nothing that’s going away anytime soon,” says Russell.

For example, the Federal Home Loan Bank program often opens in April but runs out of money by August, according to Russell.

Even though the state’s Time to Own program just added $40 million to its bank, Russell doesn’t expect the money to last too long.

”If it runs out while you’re looking, that’s unfortunate,” says Russell. “That’s why one of the things I’m always going to advocate for, is as many down payment and closing cost programs as we can have.”

Her goal is to make sure people like Rowan Bard, won’t have to give up on their dream.

“I really hope I can get there, I’m trying to save up,” says Bard.

Now with many of these programs, you have to actually find a home first. That’s the problem according to everyone we spoke with for this series, there aren’t enough places to live.

For a list of down payment and closing cost programs, visit Connecticut Housing Finance Authority.

Tuesday, we take a closer look at what the limited supply is doing to this state, as our impossible dream series continues.