Harvest Crossing at “Addressing the Vermont Housing Challenge: Local and Regional Strategies for Success” in Barre VT
Our effort to create affordable homes in Underhill connects us with so many other concerned citizens, town governments, and dedicated organizations working to improve housing. This was so obvious at a recent statewide conference I attended. Our Harvest Crossing team was asked to participate on a panel offering project examples for the 80 attendees. As our spokesperson, I was fortunate to witness the support and appreciation from so many for our thoroughness and perseverance in this work. One of the things that impressed them was the dedicated partnership between a faith-based organization and Habitat for Humanity. The theme of partnerships became a common thread among successful projects. It turns out, it really does take a village to address this challenging issue.
With the influx of federal funds through the American Rescue Plan (ARPA), state and town governments have an opportunity to invest in housing in all sorts of ways. We heard about a contractor who is renovating old buildings in Bennington to increase rentals; about half the apartments are rented to low-wage workers. We heard about new housing in the Northeast Kingdom created through partnerships between investors, towns, and a forestry center, recognizing that forest-based communities need workers and workers need homes.
Understanding some of the hurdles to affordable housing, which has been made more challenging due to building materials shortages and increased migration into Vermont during the pandemic, helped identify quick fixes and systemic problems that could be addressed. Here are a few of these highlights.
First are the state and town permit processes. Regulations designed to keep our state green often prove to be logistical barriers for investors and builders. Of course we want to keep Vermont green, but a lack of process clarity and the time (and therefore expense) it takes to understand and obtain what is required can lead investors to turn away. If we could communicate the permitting process better, it would smooth the road to success.
Second is Vermont’s history of encouraging visitors to ski and vacation in the state. This is part of our important tourist economy, but it has created short-term rentals (think ski-area condos) and second homes that are not available to permanent residents. At the moment, vacancy rates for rentals are dominated by short-term rentals, which won’t sustain our permanent workforce.
Third is our lack of support for small developers and builders. These are the people who will be creating the affordable homes. There are trainings being set up to offer support, both in access to funding sources and in getting jobs done through the red tape.
In closing I want to share a few interesting links that I found informative:
Towns in the Adirondack Park were interested in attracting new young families, so they paid for a consultant to help them learn “what attracts and keeps young people”.
Attracting_New_Residents_to_the_Adirondacks.pdf (northernforest.org)
With the new federal stimulus funds, towns in the Connecticut River Valley are strategizing on building smart for stronger communities, including planning for affordable housing.
Keys to the Valley – Homes for your Community
Communities that have strong social infrastructure offer residents greater connections and hope during difficult times. This book was recommended by the keynote speaker and offers many stories of building better communities.
Palaces For The People: How social infrastructure can help fight inequality, polarization, and the decline of civic life. By Eric Klinenberg