Don’t miss this final Fair Housing Friday of Fair Housing Month! Join us for a discussion about the changing realities of housing after COVID and whether we are meeting the needs of our most vulnerable Vermonters.

Panelists include Shaun Gilpin of the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), Seth Leonard of Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA), and Vermont State Senator Kesha Ram. The session will be facilitated by Brian Pine of the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition (VAHC).

Register here!

This Fair Housing Friday is an important follow up to our discussion last week, “Equity and Choice in Vermont Housing.” You can watch the full video here on our Fair Housing Month website.

In this powerful conversation, we heard from CVOEO Community Ambassador Dalib Bulle who spoke about his community’s experience of having little to no choice in where they live due to the level of discrimination they experience. We heard from Vermont State Representative Brian Cina who called on listeners to be specific when we say “affordable housing,” because what is considered “affordable” in places like Burlington is not affordable for many. Finally we heard from Bor Yang, director of the Vermont Human Rights Commission who reminded us that where you live determines what resources you have access to.

Sales of Vermont homes to out-of-state buyers jumped 38% in 2020 over the year before.  Now is an important time to have conversations about the changing housing landscape in Vermont. This VPR and New England News Collaborative report cautions the pandemic housing boom may be a stress test for “climgation” as climate change pushes people to areas of the country less affected by rising seas and persistent forest fires. As federal funding allows our state to expand our affordable housing stock, and we begin planning for emergency housing programs to end, it is important we take into consideration how our community needs are shifting.

Join on Friday to hear from housing experts and community leaders about how our housing landscape is changing, and what we can do now to ensure that change does not further housing equity gaps in our communities.

Register here!

And don’t miss the last week of Fair Housing Month activities, including:

• Fair Housing Training for Landlords – 1-3pm Thursday, April 22
  Presented by Rachel Batterson of Vermont Legal Aid and Angela Zaikowski of Vermont Landlord Association.
  Join Zoom Webinar:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83311164786?pwd=RUNxdXR6akJtNkV5bHRaampiYWpWdz09
  Passcode: 547245
• Film Discussion: Priced Out – 7-8pm Thursday, April 22
  Join the Charlotte Public Library and Shelburne Pierson Library for a discussion facilitated by Lydia Clemmons of the Clemmons Family Farm and Jess Hyman of CVOEO. Held via Zoom. Register here. 
• Community Housing Discussion – 4:30-6pm Friday, April 23
  Hosted by the Blake Memorial Library and facilitated by Jess Hyman of CVOEO, this conversation on local housing needs and policy builds on the April 9 Race for Profit book discussion. Email khotellingbml@gmail.com to sign up.
• Know Your Rights! Fair Housing & Tenant Skills Webinar – 11am-12:30pm Monday, April 26
  Presented by Karin Ames and Corrine Yonce of CVOEO’s Housing Advocacy Programs. Held via Zoom. Register here.
• Harassment and Hate Crimes in Housing – 1-2pm Wednesday, April 28
  Presented by Jules Torti, Civil Rights Coordinator, U.S. Attorney’s Office (Vermont) Held via Zoom. Register here. 
• Fair Housing Training for Municipal Officials – 2-4pm Wednesday, April 28
  Presented by Shaun Gilpin and Max Krieger of the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development, Jess Hyman of the Fair Housing Project of CVOEO, and Rachel Batterson of Vermont Legal Aid. Register here.
• HeART & Home Community Artists Reception and Fair Housing Month Celebration (All Ages) – 5:30-7pm Thursday, April 29
  Come celebrate a month of Art Making! Join us to share your HeART & Home art creations and reflections. This reception is open to all participating artists and community members. Held via Zoom. Register here.

Fair Housing Month activities are made possible with the support of the Champions of Affordable Inclusive Housing and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Library activities are supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency, through the Library Service and Technology Act as administered by the Vermont Department of Libraries. More info at https://fairhousingmonthvt.org/