Category Archives: Chittenden County

Thriving Communities and Housing from the Peruvian Andes to Vermont’s Green Mountains

Hi! I’m Beth, and I’ve been volunteering with the Fair Housing Project over the summer, working mainly on social media with Corrine and Jess. As a brief introduction, I’m currently finishing up my PhD in Anthropology at Brown University. I’m originally from the UK, but my partner grew up in Shelburne, and we moved back to Vermont in 2021. 

Hiking in the Green Mountains after moving back to Vermont

PhD research

At first glance, it doesn’t seem like my PhD research has much to do with fair housing or thriving communities. I study herding communities and environments in the Peruvian Andes (think llamas, alpacas, and mountains) and how they responded to Spanish colonialism in the 16th century. More broadly, I’m interested in how rural communities renegotiate their lifeways in response to external changes. In the communities I study, responses often involve shifts in how people manage and use the environment. Today, for example, Andean herding communities have had to intensify wool production to meet increased global demand for wool, which is prized for its fineness and warmth. To do this, they’ve expanded wetland pasture so it can host more animals. I think similar shifts happened in response to Spanish colonialism: Spanish-operated mines relied on caravans of llamas to move goods between the highland mines and coastal ports. To meet increased transport demand, herders would have had to construct new infrastructure, such as corrals, along the route. Spanish colonialism was undoubtedly a violent period that led to the death of millions and the destruction of many Andean community practices. But because of a focus on this, and on the colonists themselves, less attention has been paid to understanding the diverse ways in which rural communities, in particular, responded to colonial policies.

The high-elevation (about 14,500 ft) herding landscape my PhD research is based in, in the Peruvian Andes

Housing

I’ve always been interested in housing, especially in rural areas. I grew up in a small coastal town in the UK and I see a lot of parallels between my hometown and where I live now, in Vermont, in terms of housing issues. In both places, housing inequities – in particular, rising housing costs and housing shortages caused in part by increased migration, second-home ownership, and short-term Airbnb-type rentals – have begun to hollow out our communities.

Short-term lets are increasingly impacting housing availability and community cohesion in rural areas

While we often, perhaps rightly, see these as threats to our homes, I think what’s more important is how we, as a community, respond to these changes. Like with Spanish colonialism and Andean herding communities, it is important to recognize both the major large-scale changes and the small-scale, local ways in which communities respond to these.

Manufactured (mobile) home communities are increasingly important within the Vermont housing ecosystem, because they provide affordable housing in a tight market. Recent news articles (part of the Seven Days “Locked Out” series have highlighted both the challenges manufactured home parks face and the ways in which they provide community for their residents.

Over the summer, I’ve used the Fair Housing Project’s Thriving Communities social media pages to highlight how people in Vermont and beyond are responding to housing challenges, whatever form these take. A lot of the news about housing in Vermont is bad – we all know the state is facing down a major housing crisis – but there has also been a lot of good stories and positive news!

A mural in Burlington, VT, that promotes fair housing and our right to housing free of discrimination. The mural was commissioned by Vermont’s Human Rights Commission and painted by Juniper Creative Arts.

I’ve learnt so much about the housing landscape in Vermont and the different agencies and organizations working to reduce housing inequities and discrimination across the state and it’s been great working with Jess, Corrine, and the others at the Fair Housing Project. Thank you!

In (or Out of) “The Zone”

This guest blog post features Mark Demers, Landlord Liaison at the Champlain Valley of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO). Mark helps build relationships with landlords across Chittenden County so that we at CVOEO can strengthen our practices of assisting people with their housing needs. Mark reflects on the way zoning laws can be restrictive to inclusive housing, and the impact that might have on the overall community.  Zoning laws have been used to restrict affordable housing and perpetuate the racial wealth gap. Historically, this has been intentional, with the “protection” that he refers to in his letter being for white people. If you are interested in digging deeper into the topic of zoning and equity, this webinar hosted by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University is a good place to start.

In (or Out of) “The Zone”

I walked into the bedroom and saw my three-year-old sitting on the floor with his back up against his bed, his knees pulled up tight to his chest. His ten-year-old brother with whom he shared the room, was seated at a desk working on a model airplane.

“Why don’t you play with your toys?” I asked the little one.

“I can’t play with my toys,” he said.

“Why not?”

“Because I can’t go past the line to get them.”

I learned that a policy had recently been put in force in the bedroom. The three-year-old was allowed to be in the room as long as he stayed on his “side”, which consisted of the real estate bordered by the wall his bed rested against and a line that ran parallel, about two feet away from the edge of the bed where he currently was sitting. The line was invisible; but it was rigorously enforced by the older brother. The youngest had access to about 15% of the space in the room. He was granted a right-of-way from the door of the bedroom to his “side”.

My youngest was experiencing the inequity of an unjust zoning ordinance – a policy over which he had little control and less say.

In her book “Fixer Upper”, Jenny Schuetz lays significant blame for the current housing crunch across the nation on zoning laws that are as restrictive as they are complicated. Communities are diverse in both their demography and their geography, thus the plethora of zoning not just from one town to another, but from one neighborhood to the next. Burlington is no exception.

Who can be expected to remember the difference between the NMU and the NAC; or the NAC-RC and the NAC-CR? We have RH’s, RM’s, RM-Ws, RL’s and RL-W’s. Each of these designate specific sections of the city and are accompanied by regulations for what can or cannot be built within their boundaries.

Zoning laws are designed to protect something – like wetlands or waterfronts or fabulous views or recreation areas. They protect the character of neighborhoods, keeping them “low density” (“RL”) or “historic” in appearance. Unfortunately, as my youngest son experienced, these laws can do more than protect resources or appearances. They become barriers – as impermeable as they are invisible – that prevent the construction of needed housing or prohibit certain people from living there.

We don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. We don’t have to look far to see what happens when polluting activities are allowed to go unrestrained on fragile lands. The clean-up takes years and costs millions. We also have to ask ourselves the question: Do we want our children to be able to afford to live here? Burlington doesn’t have room to “build out” and if I read our current zoning laws right, there are not many places where we can “build up”. Something is going to have to give.

I don’t envy those in power faced with the task of mitigating the current housing crisis. My three-year-old son had the benefit of a dad whose authority was enough to adjust oppressive lines that had been arbitrarily set by the bedroom zoning ordinance. The lines drawn in and between our neighborhoods present more of a challenge. They have the power of decades of inertia behind them. But if we are going to have housing that is affordable, sustainable, and environmentally responsible, some of those lines are going to have to move. That’s not just a job for civic leaders; it’s a project that will demand careful thought, compromise – and dare I say it – sacrifice from us all.

 

If you are a landlord or property manager or want to comment on this article, please feel free to give me a call – 863-6248  x 755 or send me an email – mdemers@cvoeo.org.

Fair Housing Friday: “Is Building More the Cure?”

Our last #FairHousingFriday of Fair Housing Month 2022 left us with a lot to consider. Featuring Bor Yang, Executive Director of the VT Human Rights Commission; Owiso Makuku, CEO of Main Street Landing and VT Affordable Housing Coalition Steering Committee Member; and Elizabeth Bridgewater, Executive Director of Windham & Windsor Housing Trust, we discussed how relying on development alone won’t ensure housing opportunities for the communities with the greatest housing needs in Vermont. This conversation highlighted how housing opportunities are not equally accessible to all low-income Vermonters and presenters shared tools and policy ideas that could be considered to ensure housing equity and housing opportunities for our most vulnerable Vermonters

We heard from panelists about how climate migration – still lead predominately by people with the resources to move- is already impacting housing opportunities for potential first-time home buyers across the state, especially in Southern Vermont. We also heard about how employers are taking on the burden of finding housing for their employees in an effort to meet their workforce needs. Of the tools listed to further equitable housing opportunities, panelists pointed to zoning reforms like inclusionary zoning policies, critical looks at minimum lot sizes and how that curbs what kind of housing is developed, and allowing for more multi-family housing such as duplexed, triplexes, and larger apartment developments. Also highlighted was the need to modernize municipal bylaws that could inadvertently be posing barriers to developing in communities across Vermont.

Unfortunately, audience members are left with the knowledge that often it is the vocal minority that gets in the way of developing new affordable housing, and that housing discrimination continues to impact communities of color, new Americans, folks with disabilities, and renters with children on a wide scale. And discrimination is challenging to track as it is so hard to report, and those with the greatest housing needs may not know their rights, but often are so taxed by trying to meet their own housing needs that they are unable to report the discrimination they face. We are left with the with the responsibility to mobilize in our own communities to consider our regional housing equity gaps, and advocate for policies that not only encourage more housing development, but ensures that housing meets the needs of our community members who are most often overlooked and left behind from the housing conversation.

If you missed it, find the full recording below: 

Resources shared as a part of this Fair Housing Friday:

To learn more about Fair Housing Month and upcoming activities: https://fairhousingmonthvt.org/

To learn more and get help: https://www.cvoeo.org/get-help/fair-housing-and-discrimination

Our free Vermont Tenants workshops:
https://www.cvoeo.org/get-help/vermont-tenants-rights-and-resources

More information about the Human Rights Commission:
https://hrc.vermont.gov/

Vermont Housing Finance Agency on Home Ownership for BIPOC Vermonters https://vhfa.org/news/blog/future-strategies-promote-homeownership-opportunity-bipoc-vermonters

Vermont Housing Finance Agency on Understanding VT’s Vacant Homes: https://vhfa.org/news/blog/future-strategies-promote-homeownership-opportunity-bipoc-vermonters

Bylaw Mondernization Grants : https://accd.vermont.gov/content/bylaw-modernization-grants

Conversation with Elizabeth Bridgewater and Gus Seelig Addressing the Roots of Our Current Housing Crisis : https://vtdigger.org/2022/04/17/vermont-conversation-the-roots-and-way-out-of-vermonts-housing-crisis/

Stay tuned for our Fair Housing Month wrap up, and remember, these conversation MUST continue throughout the year. Thank you for joining us, and please stay in touch.

Fair Housing Friday: “Unique Challenges and Opportunities of Mobile Home Parks”

Our second #FairHousingFriday of the month was a fantastic hit! Hosted by Nate Lantieri of CVOEO’s Mobile Home Program, panelists included Kelly Hamshaw, Senior Lecturer at UVM Dept. of Community Development & Applied Economics; Gayle Pezzo, Board President of Westbury Homeowners Association; and Elise Shanbacker, ED of Addison County Community Trust.

Panelists covered a extensive array of topics in a short amount of time, from the challenges of financing infrastructure updates for mobile home communities, the challenges community members encounter with funding basic park maintenance such a plowing, and the unique ways mobile home communities are impacted by climate change.

We ended on a powerful message from Gayle Pezzo, Board President of the Westbury Homeowners Association in Colchester, VT. Gayle spoke to the ways a mobile home community uniquely met her needs as a retired, single person, and how joining the Westbury Homeowners Association board necessitated a level of civic engagement she did not anticipate as she advocated for her community to access municipal resources. At the conclusion of the conversation, Gayle pointed out the shift in language from “trailer park” to “mobile home community” had a powerful impact on the way mobile home communities are viewed, and her own connection to her neighborhood.

If you missed it, find the full recording below: 

Resources shared as a part of this Fair Housing Friday:

To learn more about Fair Housing Month and upcoming activities: https://fairhousingmonthvt.org/

To learn more and get help: https://www.cvoeo.org/get-help/fair-housing-and-discrimination

Our free Vermont Tenants workshops:
https://www.cvoeo.org/get-help/vermont-tenants-rights-and-resources

Resources available from USDA Rural Development here in Vermont : https://www.rd.usda.gov/vt

More resources for Mobile Home Parks through CVOEO: https://www.cvoeo.org/get-help/mobile-home-park-rights-and-resources

The Cooperative Development Institute (CDI) : https://cdi.coop/

Do NOT Miss Our Final Fair Housing Friday!

Friday, April April 29th 12:30 – 1:30 PM: “Is Building More the Cure?”

In this final Fair Housing Friday for Fair Housing Month, we will discuss how relying on development alone won’t ensure housing opportunities for the communities with the greatest housing needs in Vermont. Featuring Bor Yang, Executive Director of the VT Human Rights Commission; Owiso Makuku, CEO of Main Street Landing and VT Affordable Housing Coalition Steering Committee Member; and Elizabeth Bridgewater, Executive Director of Windham & Windsor Housing Trust.

And coming up this week:

  • Arts So Wonderful Art opening at the South Burlington University Mall! Friday April 29th from 4pm to 7 pm, or alternative dates at request. Read the full Call to Artists here

TONIGHTTuesday, April 26th:

Throughout the month of April:

Fair Housing Friday: “Why Aren’t We Building the Housing We Need?”

Our first #FairHousingFriday of the month happened last week! Featuring Katherine “Deac” Decarreau, Executive Director of the Winooski Housing Authority, Nate Besio, Peer Advocate Counselor Coordinator at Vermont Center for Independent Living, Carol Jaramillo, Community Builder Northgate Apartments, and Bhagawat Pudyel from the Financial Futures Community Ambassador Program at CVOEO, this conversation focused on the barriers to housing development, what kind of housing we are building, and why (or why not) the housing we are developing meets the needs of our most vulnerable community members.

In this rich conversation on housing, we heard about barriers our current available housing poses to folks who fall into Fair Housing protected classes, such as families who rent, folks with mobility needs, and New Americans. We also discussed solutions advocates would like to see implemented, like housing opportunities for folks who are recovering from addiction and not yet ready to live independently, and creative affordable housing solutions that fit the unique needs of the neighborhood. We also talked about tools, such as inclusionary zoning, that municipalities, like Burlington, use to incentive affordable housing, but rules that disincentive developing housing that the community needs, such as 3+ bedroom apartments.

Join Us for Our Next Fair Housing Fridays!

If you missed it last weeks’, you can find our full recording below. 

Resources shared as a part of this Fair Housing Friday:

To learn more about Fair Housing Month and upcoming activities: https://fairhousingmonthvt.org/
To learn more and get help: https://www.cvoeo.org/get-help/fair-housing-and-discrimination
A finding housing resource: https://www.housingdata.org/find-rental-housing (you can search specifically for accessible units)

Home Access Grant Program, funding available for reasonable modifications: https://vcil.org/services/home-access-program/

And coming up this week:

Throughout the month of April:

The Center & the Margins:

High School Students of Burlington City & Lake Semester Consider the Issue of Homelessness & Inclusive Housing

Continue reading The Center & the Margins:

Join COVID Support VT for a Virtual Town Hall on Housing Assistance: 5-7pm Feb. 4

ft. Brenda E. Patoine Freelance Writer/Reporter/Photojournalist for COVID Support VT

This guest blog feature is by Brenda E. Patoine
Freelance Writer/Reporter/Photojournalist working with COVID Support VT. COVID Support VT helps people cope with the pandemic through education, emotional support and connections to community services that promote resilience, empowerment and recovery. CVOEO’s Fair Housing project welcomes our partners to add their voices to our Thriving Communities blog. Please send inquiries to fhp@cvoeo.org

Continue reading Join COVID Support VT for a Virtual Town Hall on Housing Assistance: 5-7pm Feb. 4

The Enduring Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

While Martin Luther King Day is relegated to one day each year, it is important to remember that the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s lives on, his advocacy and preaching never loosing relevance in our day-to-day. Throughout our Vermont communities, folks came together to reflect and celebrate the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s commitment to justice.

The Fair Housing Project’s partner, the Old North End Arts Center, celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy with their Better World Camp. The ONE Art Center invited kids to explore kindness through art projects, focusing on fun and the different ways the children can express themselves. They spent MLK Day by making art projects in a variety of media, practicing drama, storytelling, dancing, playing organized games, asking kids to think about What is service to others?

Photos by Brian Letizia, courtesy of Old North End Arts
Photos by Brian Letizia, courtesy of Old North End Arts
Photos by Brian Letizia, courtesy of Old North End Arts

The pandemic has put unprecedented stress on our communities, our families, our coworkers, our neighbors. But as we move into the safety of the zoom cyber space, collaboration has become second nature. Organizations have the flexibility to not only cohost conversation across sectors, but even for connections to be built across state lines. The City of Burlington hosted this thought-provoking panel on Reparations and Reconciliation, inviting not just local city officials and scholars, but representatives from other cities experiencing their own Reparations and Reconciliation discussions and legislative actions.

 

The Providence family of Guilford includes, from left, Justin, Rohan, Sherry, “Prov” and Aaron. Photo by Kevin O’Connor/VTDigger

Following the themes advocates and leaders raised in this conversation, in this VT Digger article, Rohan and his brothers, Aaron and Justin Providence, share a vulnerable conversation about their experiences growing up Black in Vermont with a level of candidness new even to their own family.

“You have to take a step back and just listen,” Rohan tells VT Digger, echoing a sentiment not only shared in the city hosted panel on Reparation and Reconciliation, but an echo of Black voices since the beginning of the racial justice movement. With vulnerable honesty, this family shares their story to illustrate what must be done all across Vermont: frank conversations about race and racism in our communities.

That “raw truth” is core to this powerful commentary from Kesha Ram (D-Chittenden), Vermont’s first woman of color to serve in the state Senate. State Senator Ram points to the glaring racial disparities in COVID-19 rates, policing, and homeownership as the true causes of Vermont’s prevalent & persistent whiteness. Ram corrects the popular and comfortable opinion that Vermont’s lack of racial diversity can be solved merely through more rigorous recruitment, adding critical insight to an urgent equity issue in our state.

You can find the rest of Burlington’s recorded MLK Day events, including a story walk organized by Fletcher Free Library that you can still participate in on your own, here.