Reprinted from the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition News
Central Vermont Community Land Trust is seeking help in relocating residents who are currently housed in units in Barre and Montpelier that will be undergoing construction in 2015. Details are included in the news release below. For further information contact Liz Genge, Director of Property Management, at (802) 477-1333 or [email protected].
The Central Vermont Community Land Trust (CVCLT) is seeking the help of local landlords to relocate residents who will be displaced during major construction projects in Barre and Montpelier.
The construction, scheduled to begin in early 2015, involves interior upgrades to CVCLT-owned buildings at 39 and 40 Barre Street, Montpelier, and a new four-story multi-family apartment building on Summer Street in Barre.
Assistance from community leaders and local landlords is needed to assure that the displaced CVCLT residents will have safe and convenient housing during the transition. Most of the residents need downtown units within easy walking distance of local amenities and a bus line.
In Barre, 16 CVCLT residents will be displaced from their apartments when demolition begins on three aging CVCLT-owned buildings on the Summer Street site. Those tenants will need apartments for about a year and then most will have the option of moving into the new building.
“This is a win-win situation,” said Barre Mayor Thom Lauzon. “It’s good for the City’s redevelopment, it guarantees rent for Barre landlords, and it helps CVCLT residents stay in housing they depend on. There’s no reason not to work together on this.”
In Montpelier, 14 CVCLT residents will be displaced for about six months while their apartment units on Barre Street are rehabbed with safety and energy upgrades. The fourteen residents will return to their former apartments when the project is finished.
“CVCLT is fulfilling its promise to keep their affordable housing in Montpelier safe and in good repair,” said Montpelier Mayor John Hollar. “I hope Montpelier landlords will do what they can to support this project.”
Private landlords who can offer apartments will be guaranteed rent, lease enforcement and the services of CVCLT’s skilled property managers. All of the tenants, who come with references and detailed rental history, have been CVCLT tenants for at least a year.