Category Archives: racial justice

Join us for the last week of Fair Housing Month events!

April 20, 2023affirmatively furthering fair housing, April Fair Housing Month, Art, Event, fair housing fridays, Fair Housing Month, HeART & Home, housing language, library partnership, racial justiceJess Hyman

It’s been a busy and fun month so far with thought-provoking Fair Housing Friday webinars, community Know Your Rights workshops, more than 1,000 art kits distributed through libraries and housing sites across the state, and more. We’re also collaborating with the City of Burlington’s Community & Economic Development Office to distribute more art kits, along with free books on issues of housing and homelessness.

Yesterday’s Fair Housing Month event at Champlain Street Park in Burlington combined park clean-up, art, and neighborhood connections with inspiring words about housing equity, environmental justice, and community from CVOEO, Burlington’s Office of Racial Equity, Inclusion & Belonging and Parks & Recreation Department, and reps from our congressional delegation. See some of the news coverage here: https://www.mynbc5.com/article/burlington-community-members-clean-up-parks-to-help-promote-equitable-housing/43647899

Also yesterday, a sweet HeART & Home activity hosted by the Groton Public Library and RuralEdge brought together a small group of elementary school students and seniors to make art related to home and community.

Here’s a sampling of what’s coming up next – please join us!

THURSDAY 4/20 is a conversation about the connections between public spaces, art, and home at the opening reception for CVOEO Fair Housing Project staffer and artist Corrine Yonce’s “Longing Is Just a Word for Knowing” exhibit at King Street Laundromat, 3-6pm at 72 King St.
FRIDAY 4/21 is the last Fair Housing Friday webinar, Visions of Home: Broadening the Way We Envision Home and Community, 12:30-1:30pm via Zoom. REGISTER HERE
NEXT WEEK, there will be two more in-person events in Burlington:
- Wednesday 4/26: Vocabulary of Home: How We Talk About Housing, 6-7:30pm at Burlington City Hall. CVOEO’s Corrine Yonce shares insights about our housing vocabulary – featuring images from her recent public art installation at King Street Laundry, lessons and images from HeART & Home Fair Housing Month responses, and anecdotes from the field. Free food, books, and conversation.
- Saturday 4/29: Fair Housing Month closing celebration! Movie Night at Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center – 6pm Happy Hour with food and cash bar followed by The Pursuit of Happyness at 7pm. FREE – REGISTER HERE
  This Will Smith film tells the true story of a newly single father determined to lift himself and his son out of poverty and homelessness. Please register in advance for the Happy Hour: https://sevendaystickets.com/events/fair-housing-month-movie-night-the-pursuit-of-happyness-4-29-2023
PARTNER EVENTS ALL OVER VERMONT – Details at https://fairhousingmonthvt.org/event-calendar:
- Friday 4/21: Fair Housing Feedback at Bradford Public Library with DHCD
- Friday 4/21: Homes for Hartford Paint & Sip hosted by Junction Arts & Media
- Monday 4/24: Bellows Falls Garage Affordable Housing Opening with Windham & Windsor Housing Trust
- Tuesday 4/25: HeART & Home Exhibit Reception at Bent Northrop Library in Fairfield
- Wednesday 4/26: Finding Home Drop-in Watercolor at South Burlington Public Library with Art Show Reception Saturday 4/29
- Friday 4/28: Fair Housing Feedback at Brownell Library in Essex with DHCD.
- Saturday 4/29: BIPOC Centered Homebuyer Group with The Root and Windham & Windsor Housing Trust
- Wednesday 5/3: Affordable Housing Discussion inspired by the book Fixer Upper: How to Repair America’s Broken Housing System hosted by South Burlington Public Library, South Burlington Affordable Housing Committee, and CVOEO
- Wednesday 5/3: Fair Housing Feedback at Bennington Free Library with DHCD.

About Fair Housing Month

Each April we celebrate the 1968 passage of the Fair Housing Act with a series of free public education and art events to raise awareness about the importance of equal access to housing, free from discrimination, and the positive role that inclusive, affordable housing plays in thriving communities. Virtual and in-person activities include workshops, community discussions, presentations, library events, and the all-ages HeART & Home Community Art Project.

Fair Housing is the right to equal opportunity in housing choice and the right to rent or buy a dwelling free from discrimination. The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, and family status. Vermont has additional protections based on age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, receipt of public assistance, being a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, and denial of development permitting based on the income of prospective residents. For more information about fair housing in Vermont, visit www.cvoeo.org/FHP or email fhp@cvoeo.org.

The Fair Housing Project of CVOEO coordinates April Fair Housing Month activities in collaboration with a statewide network of housing, community, and arts partners, including Burlington City Arts, Burlington Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO), Burlington Office of Racial Equity Inclusion and Belonging (REIB), Junction Arts Media, ONE Arts, Randolph Community Development Corporation, RuralEdge, Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition, Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development, Vermont Department of Libraries, Vermont Human Rights Commission, Vermont Legal Aid, Vital Communities, and White River Valley Consortium. These activities are made possible through the generous sponsorship of Farrell Properties, CEDO, REIB, Champlain Housing Trust, Redstone, Vermont State Housing Authority, Evernorth, Main Street Landing, Vermont Housing Finance Agency, Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission, Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, Cathedral Square, and Pomerleau Real Estate.

April is Fair Housing Month – Statewide Events Celebrate Home & Community!

March 30, 2023affirmatively furthering fair housing, April Fair Housing Month, Art, Event, fair housing fridays, Fair Housing Month, HeART & Home, housing language, library partnership, racial justiceJess Hyman

Here’s a sampling of this year’s statewide events. For full schedule and details visit https://fairhousingmonthvt.org/event-calendar.

BURLINGTON IN-PERSON EVENTS: Champlain Street Park Community Action Day 11am-2pm April 19 – park clean up, activities and lunch; “Longing Is Just a Word for Knowing” – art opening, conversation, refreshments 3-6pm April 20; “Vocabulary of Home: A Conversation on How We Talk About Housing”- 6-7:30pm April 26; Main Street Landing movie night, April 28.
EXHIBITS: “Redlining Our Souls” at Junction Arts Media in White River Junction, “Home and How We Make It” at River Arts in Morrisville, “Longing Is Just a Word for Knowing” at King Street Laundry in Burlington, and a Fair Housing Month display at Burlington City Hall.
FAIR HOUSING FRIDAYS: Informational, interactive sessions hosted by the Fair Housing Project of CVOEO with guests from communities and organizations around the state, 12:30pm, April 7, 14, and 21 via Zoom.
TENANTS RIGHTS & FAIR HOUSING WORKSHOPS: Opportunities for the general public, housing and service providers, landlords, and others to learn about fair housing and renters’ rights and responsibilities and discuss current issues. In-person and virtual sessions in Burlington, Groton, Lyndonville, South Burlington, Winooski, and White River Junction.
LIBRARY ACTIVITIES: Book discussions, StoryWalks®, art activities, Fair Housing drop-in sessions with the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development, and other community events at participating libraries all over the state in partnership with the VT Department of Libraries.
HeART & HOME COMMUNITY ART PROJECT: Art activities and exhibits at libraries and housing and community sites. It’s easy to join this all-ages art project! 1) Pick up an art kit at CVOEO or participating sites or download the creative prompts and use your own materials; 2) Create a drawing, collage, painting, photo, sculpture, comic, or any other type of art; and 3) Share a photo of your creation to be added to the online community gallery and be entered in a prize drawing. Send photos to fhp@cvoeo.org.

For more information about fair housing in Vermont, visit www.cvoeo.org/FHP or email fhp@cvoeo.org.

Housing Demystified: Chapter 1: The Crunch

March 1, 2023affordable housing, Civic Engagement, Economic Inequality, fair housing, Homelessness, housing, Housing 101, housing assistance, housing committee, housing crisis, housing demystified, housing development, housing discrimination, Housing Inequality, housing inequality, housing language, program funding, racial discrimination, racial justice, redlining, rental housing market, renters, resources, Vermontaffirmatively furthering fair housing, affordable housing, fair housing, housing crisis, housing demystified, housing language, inclusive communities, understanding housing, VermontCorrine Yonce

The basics

Introduction: Vermont has a housing crisis, and if you live here (especially if you are a renter or have gone through the home-buying process recently), you probably don’t need to be told that. Although housing solutions might seem simple (why don’t we just build more housing?), how we talk about housing, what we mean when we talk about housing, and what our housing needs are can actually be quite complex. This guide is intended to provide a basic framework so that we can have a common vocabulary when we talk about housing.

In this latest Thriving Communities blog series, we break down the network, language, and housing advocacy into several parts:

How we measure the housing shortage, and how we talk about it
What resources illustrate the housing needs and housing gaps
The different types of housing, shelters, and housing subsidies
Who the housing providers, financers, and advocates are, and where they serve
How to be a housing advocate

Chapter 1: The Crunch

–What do we mean when we say “Vermont has a housing crisis?”

Chapter 2: Emergency housing

-Resources for people who are experiencing homelessness (including unsafely housed ) or at risk of becoming homeless

Chapter 3: What is affordable housing?

-What options are there for people who need help paying for their housing, but are not currently homeless?

Chapter 4- Avenues for Advocacy

– What can you do about the affordable housing shortage?

Before going much further, we want to plug again this post on housing committees, a really great place to start if you are looking to make an impact on your local housing landscape. This may hold you over until our final chapter is released! And for those arriving at this resource to understand Vermont affordable housing, subsidized housing, and emergency housing resources, Vermont’s US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) state office has issued this comprehensive guide on Vermont housing and rental assistance.

Finally, a word on why it is important for us to all be educated on housing terminology and avenues for citizen housing advocacy:
Housing as a human right, absolutely foundational to each person meeting their basic needs. Equal opportunity for housing choice is also critical to thriving, inclusive communities because where you live determines your proximity to resources – transportation, social services, jobs – where your kid goes to school, what kinds of foods you can access, and perhaps what environmental conditions you live in. Housing stability is critical to children’s educational growth, to citizen’s ability to be civically engaged, and to overall neighborhood resilience. Homeownership *can* be a path to housing stability and wealth accumulation. The reality is, neither housing choice nor housing stability is guaranteed in our state for a growing number of people, many of whom represent groups of people historically denied equal access to housing.

Want to Learn More about Fair Housing?

Check out this compelling presentation and discussion about racial discrimination here in Vermont, and the homeownership inequities between white and BIPOC Vermonters.
Here you can find our overview of Fair Housing milestones throughout US history, and here the timeline continues into our contemporary present.
The National Fair Housing Alliance has this more comprehensive overview of Fair Housing History as well.
We are CVOEO’s Fair Housing Project are always happy to offer our Fair Housing workshops to housing and service providers, municipal officials, and the general public. Contact us to schedule or learn more.

What do we mean when we say Vermont is having a housing crisis?

Simply put, we do not have enough housing to fit the needs of our community. A tight housing market also means higher rates of discrimination, as a larger pool of housing-seekers means housing providers can be more selective without consequence, and more susceptible to bias. We measure our housing needs through three major reports:

The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s Out of Reach Report: The National Low Income Housing Coalition releases a comprehensive annual Out of Reach Report which documents the gap between renters’ wages and the cost of rental housing across the US. The report’s central statistic, the Housing Wage, is an estimate of the hourly wage a full-time worker must earn to afford a modest rental home at HUD’s fair market rent (FMR) without spending more than 30% of his or her income on housing costs, the accepted standard of affordability. You can check out Vermont’s stats here, and you can even go deeper and by putting in your own town or county. While the Out of Reach report does not measure demographic differences of renters, other statistics confirm that BIPOC renters are disproportionately impacted by these gaps, and both the Vermont Human Rights Commission and Vermont Legal Aid report higher rates of discrimination for people with disabilities.*

The Vermont Housing Needs Assessment: In 2019 the Department of Housing and Community Development hired VHFA to conduct the 5-year Vermont Housing Needs Assessment. This Assessment is used to inform the State’s 5-Year Consolidated Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and other statewide and county housing and policy decisions. You can find the report highlights here. And the full document and fact sheets here. In addition to the written report, VHFA hosts and regularly updates the indicators included in this report on the Community Profile section of www.housingdata.org as a resource for anyone interested in the demographic makeup, housing needs, and economic indicators for communities and regions around Vermont.

The Point in Time Count: This report chronicles the landscape of and changes in homelessness in Vermont in 2022 and over a ten-year period with breakdowns by location of homelessness, household type, and subpopulation. The Annual Point in Time Count is a statewide count of persons experiencing literal homelessness on January 26, 2022. The Count captures the most vulnerable population, those literally homeless and does not include those at risk of homelessness, doubled up, living in unsafe housing, or couch surfing.

In our next chapter of Housing Demystified, we will be digging into the different categories of housing, the organizations which provide them, the different ways affordable housing is financed, and what resources exist for those currently homeless or at risk of homelessness.

What does the crunch mean for you?

For renters:
If you are a renter, knowing your rights under state Landlord-Tenant Law and state & federal Fair Housing Law becomes critical in a tight housing market. It is important for you to know your responsibilities to maintain housing. Fortunately, CVOEO’s Housing Advocacy Program has a wealth of free resources to that end, including the Definitive Guide to Renting, live and self-paced workshops, and a variety of other resources at your disposal. You can find a summary of our programs below and learn more at www.cvoeo.org.

VERMONT TENANTS: Information, resources, referrals, navigation services, and workshops to help people find and maintain stable housing. Workshops are available in-person and online (live and self-paced) and the Rent Right program combines tenant skills and financial workshops and coaching to result in a preferred renter certificate.
MOBILE HOME PROGRAM: Information, resources, and support services designed to help mobile home park residents achieve greater control over their housing and protect and improve their housing rights and living conditions. Services include resident organizing, housing counseling, and referrals.
FAIR HOUSING PROJECT: Consultations, referrals, education, and advocacy for the general public, housing and service providers, and municipal officials with the goal of eradicating illegal housing discrimination and increasing housing opportunity and choice. The Fair Housing Project also coordinates community events, supports local housing committees, facilitates the Thriving Communities initiative, and offers assessments and training related to Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing and developing inclusive, affordable housing.
Always, you can call us on our statewide Tenant Hotline if you have any questions about your tenancy Hotline: (802) 864-0099

For low-income renters

While Vermont has a robust affordable housing infrastructure, many housing non-profits have waiting lists. It is important to know what kind of housing you are looking for before beginning your applications. Stay tuned for Housing Demystified Chapter 2: Types of Housing Nonprofits and Programs, and Who They Serve

Vermont Racial Justice Housing Jam: Speaker Series Starts Nov. 3

October 24, 2022civil rights, Disparate Impact, Event, fair housing, housing, housing discrimination, housing inequality, Housing Inequality, racial justiceJess Hyman

Register now for Increasing Racial Justice in Vermont Housing speaker series

A group of Vermont housing organizations is hosting a free four-part series examining how racial inequities impact access to housing in Vermont.

The public speaker series has been developed by Abundant Sun, together with the Vermont Racial Justice Housing Jam, a committee of community members with lived experience and representatives from nonprofit housing organizations. Local, national, and international speakers will address selected topics focused on increasing racial justice and equity in Vermont housing. The goal of the initiative is to identify actions on policy, programmatic and cultural levels to expand access to affordable housing for all Vermonters.

All sessions are free and open to the public, and will be held via Zoom from 4:30-6pm with presentations followed by discussions (click on each title to register):

NOVEMBER 3: Speaker Series 1: Laying the Foundation, Identifying the Issues – Roots of racial discrimination in housing policy and practices
DECEMBER 1: Speaker Series 2: The History of Racial Injustice in Vermont Housing – Ways current systems continue to reinforce oppressive practices
JANUARY 12: Speaker Series 3: From Slavery to Tenancy – Real impacts of racial inequity on daily life and economic well-being
FEBRUARY 2: Speaker Series 4: De-Commodifying Our Right to Shelter – New efforts and ideas that can help to change the tide

The Vermont Racial Justice Housing Jam is coordinated by the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, working in partnership with Abundant Sun, Champlain Housing Trust, Downstreet Housing & Community Development, RuralEdge, Windham & Windsor Housing Trust, NeighborWorks of Western Vermont, NeighborWorks America, and Vermont Housing Finance Agency, with additional support from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston.

Thriving Communities

Building a Vibrant Inclusive Vermont