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Thank You for Another Successful Fair Housing Month

April Fair Housing Month, fair housing, fair housing fridays, Fair Housing Month, Uncategorized, , , , ,

We couldn’t be more grateful for the conversations we had throughout Fair Housing Month in April. We talked about how public spaces contribute to the sense of belonging, how we can reach a wider audience through creative forms of community engagement, the ways opportunities for resident feedback in how we shape our home & community spaces can foster a sense of agency– and so much more. We received countless responses to our HeART & Home Art prompts, illustrating how we each think of home, so much more than the shelter-structure. We have enjoyed seeing you in parks, laundromats, statewide calls in the digital space, breweries, in passing in our hallways and on our sidewalks. And we also appreciate the quiet listeners, tuning in from your work day when you can, sharing the events and activities in your communities.

Each year, our work grows

Each year, the network of Fair Housing Month partners grows, allowing this work to reach more people across the state. Almost 200 people participated in the CVOEO lead workshops, community conversations, Fair Housing Friday discussions, art events, and countless other educational activities, and hundreds more were engaged by partners across the state. We distributed more than 1,100 HeART & Home Art kits to invite reflection on the foundation that home provides to all of our lives, and how important it is to have agency in our home-space to accommodate our unique, individual ways of living.

These activities went far beyond the basics of fair housing and included discussion on ways to make our towns and cities more welcoming, issues related to housing access and homelessness, and how to address community housing needs. 

Here are a couple of highlights that were recorded:

  • The  Community Day of Action press event included compelling explanations about the connection between green space, equity, and a sense of community. You can watch the recording here  (also linked above!)
  • The Vocabulary of Home conversation at Contois Auditorium highlighted the importance of talking about affordable housing from the lens of “home,” and the voices of the people who live there. CVOEO’s Fair Housing Project joined Burlington’s Special Assistant to End Homelessness Sarah Russell at Contois Auditorium for a discussion on how we talk about housing and homelessness. Wearing both her “housing hat” and “artist hat,”  CVOEO’s Fair Housing Project’s Corrine Yonce used images from her public art, lessons from the HeART & Home art responses, and anecdotes from residents in affordable housing to highlight the complexities in our housing language.  You can watch that recording here.
  • We had another round of stellar Fair Housing Friday discussions, featuring voices of resident engagement coordinators, affordable housing residents, community artists, media makers and organizers, city planners, advocates– and more! These are out-of-the-box creative discussions about the state’s housing needs, avenues for directly involving the people living in affordable housing, and how we think about home and community as a state. You can find those recordings, along with a archive of past Fair Housing Fridays, here.
  • We hosted an art opening at King St Laundry as part of a public art series, where we talked about the role public art plays in furthering equality in our housing landscape, and how public spaces can act as an extension of our homes.
  • One rainy Saturday evening, CVOEO Fair Housing Project, along with the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition and Main Street Landing, closed out a month of activities with a housing social followed by the film The Pursuit of Happyness. 

An Abundance of Gratitude

We want to give a special shout out to the Fair Housing Friday guest panelists:

Meaghan Tedder, of Evernorth Housing, Will Condry and Jennifer Herrera Condry  of Juniper Creative Arts, Sal Millichamp, of Laurentide – thank you for sharing your insights on how we can engage the people we house in their shared and private spaces. 
  • This was a rich conversation between community artists, resident service providers, and residents living in affordable housing, with specific insight on not just how to engage residents in the design of their home spaces, but how resident feedback can make our work as housing providers more efficient. You can find the recording here.
Jordyn Fitch & Maeve Littau of Junction Arts Media – thank you for sharing your documentary, your voice and your perspective on this topic! Your work documenting the housing landscape in Connecticut River Valley region comes a critical time to listen to the people most impact by our housing shortage. 
  • Jordyn and Maeve’s shared unique perspective comes in the midst of a string of housing events hosted by Junction Arts and Media, including a documentary screening of Racist Trees and an art exhibit, Redlining Our Souls. Learn more here.  You can catch their Fair Housing Friday discussion here.
To John Haffner of Vital Communities, and Meagan Tuttle & Sarah Morgan of the Burlington Office of City Planning, and Beth Whitlock representing Hinesburg Housing Committee – thank you for sharing how the ways we talk about housing can inform the ways communities think about and engage with housing, and for introducing tools to expand our housing vocabulary.
  • The panelists covered a lot of ground related to this topic, from the ways assumptions about “Vermont communities” may limit us from meeting our housing needs to the surprising ways Vermont downtown centers historically met many of the smart growth goals we strive for today.  You can find the full recording here.

We also want to extend our deepest gratitude to our Fair Housing Month partners, including Vital Communities and the White River Valley Consortium for bringing Fair Housing education and HeART & Home art kits to welcome in new members of the Rochester community, and to the Home Creators Expo. We thank all the libraries who hosted workshops, art activities, and educational information, and the Vermont Department of Libraries for connecting us to these incredible resources across the state. Thank you to Junction Arts & Media, Randolph Area Community Development, RuralEdge, Vermont LegalAid, CEDO, ONE Arts, Vermont Human Rights Commission, the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development, Burlington REIB and the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition for helping us reach as many Vermonters as we can with our Fair Housing Month programming.

And a huge thank you to all of our sponsors: Champlain Housing Trust, Cathedral Square, Evernorth, Farrell Properties, Main Street Landing, Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission, Pomerleau Real Estate, Redstone, Vermont State Housing Authority, Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, and Vermont Housing Finance Agency

The work is Far From Over

Finally, we remind ourselves that this work is far from over. Fair Housing Month activities wrapped up in advance of 1,800 Vermonter facing imminent displacement, 600 of whom are children, many of whom have serious health requirements – like access to ventilation equipment and regular nursing needs – many of whom are fleeing domestic violence, and who disproportionately represent the members of our community traditionally denied equal opportunity to housing. Renters face rising rent costs despite wages not growing in proportion, in the midst of an unprecedented housing shortage. Black and Brown Vermonters continue to rely on rental housing at a far greater rate than white Vermonters, who are also privileged with greater access to home ownership. Renters are not afforded Just Cause eviction protections in most of the state, and more than half of renters are cost burdened by their rental cost, thus resigned to a sense of precarity. Our dire housing landscapes calls us to continue to have these conversations, which outline creative, innovative, and new ways to address a growing problem.

Join Us to Celebrate Fair Housing Month

April Fair Housing Month, April Fair Housing Month, fair housing, fair housing fridays, Fair Housing Month, Uncategorized,

It is almost our favorite time of year here at the Fair Housing Project of CVOEO- Fair Housing Month!

Each April at CVOEO’s Fair Housing Project, we celebrate the 1968 passage of the Fair Housing Act with a series of public education and art events to raise awareness about housing discrimination in Vermont and the positive role that inclusive, affordable housing plays in thriving communities. To promote Fair Housing education and awareness, the Fair Housing Project facilitates a series of zoom webinars, Fair Housing workshops, and art activities, prompting participants to reflect on what Fair Housing means in their community.


Join us!
There are a variety of ways you, your community, or your organization can participate in the celebration this year, despite us being unable to meet in person. Our Fair Housing Month calendar is filling with events hosted by us and organizations across the state, including Fair Housing Friday zoom webinars, the Old North End Art Center’s art camps, and HeART & Home community art project, library book and film discussions, and Fair Housing workshops.

Let us know how you, your community, or your organization would like to participate by filling out this  brief form.

(Of course, we anticipate these activities will be held remotely, and when possible, outdoors with physical distancing.)

Here are some examples of the variety of ways you can join us in celebrating Fair Housing Month: 

  • Host an event in your community focusing on the history and impact of the Fair Housing Act, local housing needs, or the value of diversity and inclusion in housing (which we will add to our Fair Housing Month event calendar)
  • Participate in the HeART & Home Community Art Project, or lead a HeART & Home Community Art activity in your community/classroom/organization
  • Participate as a panelist in one of our three Fair Housing Fridays
  • Invite us to do a Fair Housing workshop with your community/organization
  • Start a discussion  group in your organization or community (see list of books and films at https://libraries.vermont.gov/fairhousing2021)

This year we have a new partnership with the Vermont Department of Libraries and Vermont Library Association for new activities, like book discussion groups, story walks, and more at sites all over the state. Click here to learn more!

One of the HeART & Home Art Prompts. For more, visit https://fairhousingmonthvt.org/community-art-submissions

Are you curious about our HeART & Home Community Art Project? Check out a couple of the prompts we are sharing with our project participants.

For examples of past activities and to see this year’s full calendar of events (which will be posted later this month), visit www.FairHousingMonthVT.org. 

If you are interested in participating in any capacity in our Fair Housing Month Celebration, please fill out this brief form.

Fair Housing Month activities in Vermont are coordinated by the Fair Housing Project of CVOEO, in collaboration with Vermont Department of Libraries, Vermont Library Association, ONE Arts Center, Vermont Legal Aid, Vermont Human Rights Commission, VT Department of Housing and Community Development, and other partners. This program is supported by a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Housing Initiatives Program grant and 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.

Fair Housing is the right to equal opportunity in housing choice and the right to rent, buy, finance, and live in a home free from discrimination or harassment. The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination concerning the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, and as amended, disability and family status. This also covers harassment, including sexual harassment.

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.

To learn more about your Fair Housing rights and responsibilities, visit www.cvoeo.org/fhp and see www.fairhousingmonthvt.org for April fair Housing Month details. Contact us at fhp@cvoeo.org.

Just cause increases household health and stability

Eviction, fair housing, Housing Inequality, Inclusive Communities, Uncategorized, , ,

This is part of a series of commentaries by CVOEO and Vermont Legal Aid in support of Just Cause Eviction policy. The series includes:

By Housing Navigator Ryan Murphy and Director Sandrine Kibuey, Housing Advocacy Programs, CVOEO

Thousands of Vermont renters live day-to-day, in precarious housing, uncertain of how they will be able to make ends meet and afford the rent, buy food, or put gas in their car to get to work. It is a constant struggle and COVID-19 has deepened the impact of these daily struggles. The state and federal eviction moratoriums have provided temporary relief to many tenants, but the fear of being evicted is nonetheless real. And on top of it all, the question about why and when is also a great source of stress as a “no cause” eviction is a possibility for all tenants living in Vermont.

Vermont housing law allows landlords to evict any tenant for any reason with as little as 90 days’ notice and no-cause eviction is particularly worrisome for families, older Vermonters, as well as people of color. For many, this experience has been one of extreme consequences; here are a few examples.

Maintenance complaints and retaliation

Jeffrey and his partner, Abigail, received a no-cause lease termination notice this winter after almost a decade in the same home. He was not totally happy with the apartment as the heat had been cutting out, the wooden floors splintered his kids’ feet, and the driveway iced over so badly that he had once fallen and broken his leg.

Jeffrey had verbally complained to the landlord about these issues many times and he even had a few records of his complaints in his email outbox and ‘sent’ text messages. His landlord lived down the block, and Jeffrey felt that hand-delivering a letter, or sending one via certified delivery, might come off as petty and antagonizing but finally decided to send one.

It was hard not to feel like the eviction notice had come as retaliation for frequent repair requests. In Vermont, landlords are prohibited from practicing this kind of retaliation, but there is no mechanism to stop them from delivering no-cause termination notices. If the landlord’s case against Jeffrey went to court, Jeffrey might stand a chance of winning. Because of COVID, though, eviction cases are “stayed.” Technically, Jeffrey and his family could stay in the apartment until the end of the moratorium, but then they could risk getting an eviction for cause as holdover tenants and ruin their housing history for a long time. 

It was clear to Jeffrey and Abigail that they needed to line up a new place to live. After weeks of scouring the internet for available, affordable apartments around Burlington, they made the difficult decision to put down a deposit on a place in a neighboring state. They did not see the benefit of engaging in a big fight to stay in a home that would still need many repairs and a landlord resenting them, refusing to address these habitability issues.

From stability to eviction

On the last day of 2020, John’s family received a no-cause lease termination notice. It was yet another difficulty in a challenging year. John imagined trying to explain his current situation to the person he’d been only 12 months ago.

In March, John had been furloughed from his lucrative job as a contractor, and then he had been let go entirely. His job had been the family’s sole source of income. John had always made enough money to take care of himself, his wife, and his kids. Despite his job loss, he was grateful that he had enough in his financial safety net to keep current on rent for a couple of months until the pandemic ended.

A couple of months turned into a few, so John and Michaela applied for the Rental Housing Stabilization Program. They’d never had to apply for any kind of assistance before, but the deal was too good to pass up. The money would cover four months’ rent in full as long as their landlord agreed to sign their application. The landlord did agree to sign it, but in doing so, saw that the couple was in dire financial straits.

John finally found work again, though at a lower salary.  His paychecks went towards paying off past-due medical bills and the credit cards that had been maxed out buying groceries and gas. Interest kept accruing and so many creditors called that he and Michaela couldn’t tell which were legitimate and which were scammers.

Then then the car got repossessed. John’s credit score took a 100-point nosedive. He still needed to get to work and couldn’t deal with another monthly debt payment, so he found a car on Craigslist and bought it outright. Registration, titling, and inspection would cost the equivalent of 16 hours’ pay assuming that nothing needed repair.

Then, in December, he was holding a piece of paper that ordered his family to pack up and leave in 90 days. In agreeing to the Rental Housing Stabilization Program, John’s landlord had agreed not to evict him for nonpayment, but there were no protections against no-cause eviction. There was also a statewide eviction moratorium, but it was slated to end two weeks before the day the needed to be out. Although John’s family could only be forced to leave their home through a court order, staying in their home past the date on the eviction notice could cause them to be evicted for cause as holdover tenants.

With a low credit score, low income, and an eviction proceeding hanging over their heads, John was not hopeful about their prospects. It was completely defeating. He had never worked so hard in his life, but the more he tried to keep his family afloat, the more they only seemed to get further underwater.

Eviction is a traumatic event with lasting effects on a person and family’s emotional, social, and physical well-being. These conditions affect a person’s ability to lead a healthy life and deepen health disparities. Voting “yes” for just cause eviction would offer renters a modicum of security by requiring landlords to provide a good reason for evicting their tenants. Just cause would increase overall housing stability, which leads to stronger and more vibrant communities.

To learn more about this issue, view the Feb. 26 Fair Housing Friday webinar. 

Fair Housing Friday: Just Cause Eviction & Why It is Important for Housing Equity Feb 26

Burlington, Eviction, fair housing, fair housing fridays, housing discrimination, housing inequality, Inclusive Communities, Uncategorized

Join us for a lunchtime conversation on Just Cause Eviction on Friday, Feb. 26 – 12:30-1:30pm.

Panelists include Brian Pine, speaking on behalf of the Just Cause Coalition, Michael Monte from Champlain Housing Trust, Bor Yang from the Vermont Human Rights Commission, and Christie Delphia from the Burlington Tenants Union. 

This conversation will highlight the ways language similar to Just Cause is already being used by nonprofit housers across Vermont, why evictions should be avoided & when they are actually necessary, and how Just Cause can combat housing discrimination. This lunchtime conversation will be recorded and have time at the end for a Q & A session.

Register using this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIvd-2hrDovG90HXUx0PDe1zXZYj6e7HHnI

And you can share our facebook event here:

http://https://www.facebook.com/events/451236372739293

Regarding the Just Cause Opposition’s recent disinformation campaign:

On Monday Morning of February 22nd, leaders from Rights & Democracy VT, Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition, The Black Perspective, Burlington City Council, Burlington Tenants Union, Burlington VT Democrats Vermont, state representative Kesha Ram -among others- came forward to address a recent disinformation campaign lead by the opposition to Just Cause. Leaders condemn the red lawn signs designed to scare tenants, spread baseless statements and co-op racial equity language.

 

And here is the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalitions response to this recent smear campaign: https://www.vtaffordablehousing.org/2021/02/19/the-vermont-affordable-housing-coalition-fully-supports-the-burlington-just-cause-charter-change-proposal/

 

The Fair Housing Project Visits Burlington City & Lake

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On Dec. 4, CVOEO’s Fair Housing Project Outreach and Education Coordinator, Corrine Yonce, took fair housing education out into the community by spending time with Burlington High School’s immersive learning program, Burlington City Lake Project.

Burlington City & Lake Students walk from the bus stop to Cambrian Rise, a new mixed-income community near their school

The day started by unpacking what fair and affordable housing mean. Corrine introduced the concepts through her own personal experiences, and asked students why they think both fair and affordable housing are important to inclusive communities. They also discussed and defined common housing terms like the Fair Housing Act, inclusionary zoning, protected classes, section 8, and market rate housing.

Students gather around Cambrian Rise to discuss how affordable & fair housing is important for thriving communities.

The students and teachers then took public transportation to check out one of the newest mixed-income housing complexes near where they go to school – Cambrian Rise. They talked about the controversy surrounding that development, and did the math for what 700 new housing units do for a community that has 1-2% housing vacancy rate.

One student asked “Why would they make 25% of the housing affordable by the lake when they could make more money developing all the housing as market rate?” which led to a discussion about equity in resources – especially for those in protected classes – and the important value of mixed-income communities.

“I grew up in a house nowhere near the lake, and I turned out fine. Why should having a view of the lake be important to low-income people?”

Another student was still not sold. “I grew up in a house nowhere near the lake, and I turned out fine. Why should having a view of the lake be important to low-income people?” Other students joined the conversation to point out the proximity of Cambrian Rise to other resources, like the bus line which they took to visit the community and the multi-use path that follows the coast of Lake Champlain.

Corrine shared an anecdote about working with the Champlain Housing Trust community, Laurentide, one of the earliest Cambrian Rise buildings to be fully occupied. Many residents there arrived to an art workshop Corrine had lead with images of the sunset on the lake. A few residents explained how past places they lived were overcrowded, on busy streets, and only close to strip malls. The lake added to their sense of place, belonging, and provided a peaceful outlet for busy lives.

This anecdote helped students understand that not all the impacts of fair, affordable, inclusive housing are quantifiable. Some of the impacts can only be learned through listening to the experiences of the people most impacted by affordable housing.

A Creative Take on Housing Advocacy

Economic Inequality, fair housing, Homelessness, housing, housing crisis, Housing Inequality, resources, Uncategorized, Vermont,

Downstreet Housing Finds a New Way to Tell Their Story with this rich podcast, Community Pulse, featuring Downstreet’s Executive Director, Eileen Peltier. Already, Downstreet Housing has four episodes published and ready for listening! You can find it on their website at downstreet.org/podcast.

This third episode of Community Pulse features the reflections of Will Eberle, field director for the Agency of Human Services (AHS), serving the Barre and Morrisville District. 

Eberle’s voice offers a fresh perspective on homelessness, not just from his background working with homeless individuals through his work at AHS, nor his many roles working with at risk youth at Another Way and otherwise in Vermont communities. But Eberle speaks from his own personal perspective, having been without housing himself.

Eberle shares vivid vignettes of homeless individuals who he has worked with or encountered throughout his life, illustrating just how varied that experience might be and look like. Be it the young adult experiencing homelessness for the first time after exhausting their family resources, the full-time, minimum wage worker who sleeps in their car after full day shifts, or the chronically homeless individual who remains upbeat despite lack of access to permanent housing, Eberle shares their narratives with a frank honesty that personalizes a systemic issue across our state and country.


Community Pulse is a creative and thoughtful way to engage the every-day-listener around the housing crisis in our state, a much needed new take on an old, persistent issue. Centering the voices and experiences of the houseless community -during a time when housing could not be more critical to survival- is key in the shift towards more thriving, equitable communities.

Building Homes Together Campaign Releases Progress Report

affordable housing, Burlington, Chittenden County, fair housing, housing crisis, Housing Inequality, Inclusive Communities, Uncategorized, ,

Chittenden County has a critical shortage of housing, particularly housing that is affordable to those earning below the Area Median Income. This housing shortage puts a greater burden on marginalized communities by allowing landlords to be more selective in how they rent to tenants and allowing for more discrimination. This recent VPR investigation digs deeper into some of the ways housing segregation continues to persist in communities across New England – including Vermont- and how that impacts the lives of those affected.

Chittenden County currently has a vacancy rate of 2.6%, which while higher than the 1.8% of 2018, is still well below the healthy vacancy rate is 5%

The “Building Homes Together” campaign was started in 2016 to encourage the production of more housing. Its annual report shows that market-rate housing production has been steady for the past four years, but Chittenden County has repeatedly failed to meet the campaign’s target for new permanently affordable homes, leaving a gap for those who are already struggling to make ends meet and those who have been impacted by the economic hardships of the coronavirus crisis.

The campaign, supported by over a hundred local and state officials, nonprofits, businesses, and individuals, set a five year goal of 3,500 new homes in Chittenden County with 20% of them permanently affordable. This amounts to an annual target of 700 overall homes with 140 affordable; the average over the first four years is 787 homes, but of those homes only 112 were affordable.

“We did see a spike in 2019 of new affordable homes with 169 built, but that followed three years of missing our target,” said Nancy Owens, co-President of Evernorth. “The increase in 2019 demonstrates that new capital from the Housing for All Revenue Bond passed in the State of Vermont in 2017 was essential to meet this critical housing need, but it hasn’t been enough.”

Other economic, social and public health factors are in play. “While 2020 has been consumed by the coronavirus and calls for racial justice, it’s also been a year where safe, decent and affordable housing has been even more obviously lacking in our communities. We need to do better,” said Brenda Torpy, CEO of the Champlain Housing Trust, noting that at one point this summer there were 2,000 homeless Vermonters living in hotels and motels

Champlain Housing Trust, Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission and Evernorth (formerly Housing Vermont) are jointly calling for local, state and federal policymakers to fund affordable housing and make housing a priority in responding to the economic, racial and health injustices of our current time.

More information about the “Building Home Together Campaign” can be found at http://www.ecosproject.com/building-homes-together/.

The Critical Need for Representation

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“I grew up here, in the area, and I never really felt entirely welcome, even though this is my home. There were just so many messages that I got, that I didn’t belong.” -Tabitha Moore, The Rutland Area NAACP

Tabitha Moore leads The Rutland Area NAACP and is an outspoken advocate for racial justice. In early September, Moore spoke to VTDigger for a Q & A where she shared how her heightened visibility has made the home -that never fully welcomed her- even more unwelcoming. “Vermont is not white by mistake. It’s not just a happenstance.” This important read reminds us the critical need for housing opportunities to be not just inclusive, but host a culture that supports inclusion.

VTDigger’s article, Q&A with Tabitha Moore: ‘I am not OK’, features a September Q&A with Moore about her recent experiences as one of Vermont’s most prominent Black leaders in a moment of historical social unrest.

Representation is critical to creating the culture of belonging foundational to thriving communities. Unfortunately, some of Vermont is still resistant to representing black and brown people in their community public spaces.

“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”

Quote by Albert Camus, to be paired with the planned portrait by Vermont artist team Kasso and Herrera as part of a public arts installation

Vermont Artists, Will Kasso Condry and Jennifer Herrera Condry were in line to continue the mural art installations commissioned by Soda Plant tenants, SoapBox Gallery and CO Cellars. They planned a colorful work based on the portrait of their daughter in an afrofuturist style with this quote by Albert Camus, “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.” While the piece was commissioned by the Soda Plant businesses and visible to drivers on Pine Street, the wall itself is the backside of Kerry’s Kwick Stop and relied on the continued support from owner Carrie Rockwood. After reviewing the mock-up up, Rockwood said no. “I do not like the photo or the phrase. I would like something representative of our community/Burlington.”

It is no secret that Vermont is a very white state, with almost 93% people identifying as “white alone” in the recent census data. Still, Burlington’s communities are more diverse, with almost 17% of people self identifying as BiPOC (Black or Indigenous People of Color), and as Moore said, “Vermont is not just white by happenstance.” Rockwood’s assertion that images of BiPOC people do not represent the community is part of a long, systemic history of white people controlling the narrative of who belongs. An important part of addressing systemic racism is having access to a balanced, honest history of how our communities are created.

The history of Black people establishing communities in Vermont during the 1800s has been scrupulously researched by one author, and it is just being uncovered by others.
Photo by ELODIE REED / VPR

This Vermont Public Radio podcast, Brave Little State, takes a deeper dive at the history of Vergennes, home to one of Vermont’s 19th century Black communities. In 1790, 7% of Vergennes’ population was Black, however the most recent census show the civilian Black population is at 0.2%. Other towns listed as having sizable historical Black populations include Bennington, Woodstock, Windsor and Ferrisburgh, along with cities like St. Albans and Rutland. This critical look at Vermont’s 19th century Black communities helps listeners understand the the conditions which shrunk diversity in our communities, rather than foster environments for all people to thrive equally.

This Brave Little State deep episode shows, as Tabitha Moore said in her VT Digger article, that “Vermont isn’t white by mistake.” Messages like Carrie Rockwood’s, when she implied that images of Black and Brown people don’t represent our Burlington community, is part of a bigger trend of systemic inequality that our city and state is deeply entrenched in. Representation matters, and is one small but important element to ensure we all live in an equitable, thriving community.

Vermont’s $25M Rental Stabilization Program

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There is still money available to help Vermont tenants and landlords with back rent through the Rental Housing Stabilization Fund.

In this Vermont Public Radio episode, Vermont State Housing Authority’s Richard Williams and Vermont Legal Aid‘s Jean Murray talks about the Rental Housing Stabilization Fund, a $25 million program giving renters and landlords a way to apply for corona virus relief funds to cover unpaid rent, even if it was from before March.

“Vermont Edition” looks at the state’s $25 million rent stabilization program and what it means for tenants and landlords, as well as for homelessness and evictions.
https://www.vpr.org/post/evictions-back-rent-homelessness-prevention-vermonts-25m-rental-stabilization-program#stream/0

Recent changes in the program allows for renters to use funds for assistance moving into more sustainable living situations- meaning you are currently paying more for rent than you should be based on your income- so that you can pay first and last month’s

Rental Housing Stabilization Program

“What relief is available to someone who is trying to make the rent payments, is not falling behind, but is still struggling and for example cannot otherwise get healthcare or .. fix their car? It is very scary to be a renter. Is there relief for people who is making rent but does not have back rent due?” asks a caller from Montpelier.

“ Is there relief for people who is making rent but does not have back rent due?”

Murray responds by reminding listeners that the relationship between tenant and landlords does not have to be adversarial. “Even though it is scary to be a renter, most landlords out there are serious about their roles as providers for housing.” She encourages listeners to talk with your landlord about your financial situation.One of the reasons for this rental relief fund is so that Vermont would not have to make the decision between housing and eating.

Talk to your landlord, make a plan. For folks who can’t make the full rent and make arrangements with their landlord to do partial payments, the landlords are eligible for funds from the Stabilization Program for the amount the tenant is not able to pay.

Watch this video to learn how to apply!

New Municipal Engagement Tool for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

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There is no doubt that this is an extraordinary and, for many, devastating moment in our history. It is a time of great loss but also of rapid rebuilding of our social support structures. To help mitigate the short-term economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and create strategies for long-term business and community recovery, Governor Phil Scott created the Economic Mitigation and Recovery Task Force. The task force includes leaders across Vermont from credits unions, power companies, job creators, and community leaders.

Art by HeART & Home participant, Holly Hauser

One of the tools to emerge from the Economic Mitigation and Recovery Task Force is this Tool for Municipal Engagement for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. As part of the task force’s work brainstorming and compiling resources for community recovery, this tool was created for municipalities and local leaders to help increase the vibrancy of their communities by creating a culture of inclusion. At the Fair Housing Project, we know that inclusivity and diversity in housing is critical to those efforts.

It is clear that health disparities and economic struggles have hit groups who have been historically marginalized the hardest, which is as true during the COVID-19 pandemic as it has been with preceding national emergencies. This new tool calls on municipalities and local leaders to first acknowledge the privilege that comes from being a part of the dominant culture, and to recognize that if no action is taken in the way outlined in this tool, policies will continue to benefit those in a dominant position.

The Fair Housing Project of CVOEO goes a step further to remind our readers that historically our Federal Government has gone so far as to enact policies to intentionally benefit white families and individuals, such as participating in red lining practices and by excluding people of color from the benefits of the GI Bill. Housing discrimination predates these policies, and though the Fair Housing Act was created to mitigate these discriminatory practices, housing discrimination continues to be a major issue across the country with the rollback of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rule and the recent proposed rollbacks to protections for transgendered people experiencing homelessness.

In Vermont, the fair housing protections have been expanded to include seven additional protected classes, so in addition to it being illegal to deny housing based on race, color, country of national origin, religion, family status, sex and disability, it is also illegal to deny housing for gender identity, age, sexual orientation, marital status, receipt of public assistance, abuse sexual assault or stalking, and denial housing development based on the income of the prospective residents. The Tool for Municipal Engagement for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion calls on local leaders and municipalities to host conversations on Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI), and guides readers to model resources across Vermont.

The tool also calls for municipalities to:

  • Ensure accessibility for people of varying abilities by designating a group to receive and address accommodation inquiries and complaints.
  • Invite new people to participate in municipal meetings in more accessible ways.
    • One of the ways to break down barriers to having an impact in municipal government for people from more marginalized or stressed communities is by doing outreach in a more equitable way. Front Porch Forum and working with mutual aid groups that have already organized are a few of the recommended ways to reach a broader range of people.
  • Consider ways to support economic development of Minority- and Women-owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs)
  • Evaluate opportunity for small-scale housing and business in local zoning. From the perspective of the CVOEO Fair Housing Project, starting a Housing Committee (with an emphasis on Fair Housing, of course) is a great way to meet this goal from the housing entry point. The video below includes more information on why a Housing Committee is critical in this moment, and you can find the Housing Ready Toolkit here
  • Create a Diversity and Equity Commission and support schools in curriculum development.
  • Translate materials into other languages, with the most common languages outside of English in Vermont being: French, Nepali, Somali, Swahili, Burmese, Vietnamese, Arabic, Mandarin, and Spanish.
    • Language access was a major gap in our state’s Covid response, but some grassroots organizers like Iceberg Consulting took matters in their own hands and were able to translate important materials for non-English speaking communities.
  • And lastly, to better understand which communities are being served and represented in municipal government, break down data on the programs the municipality administers by race, disability status, and other demographics.