With town meeting day behind us and many new faces elected to local office across the state, this post shares a few key housing resources for towns.
A growing number of Vermont communities seeking economic and community vibrancy through housing have taken foundational steps of conducting local needs assessments and appointing housing commissions. These commissions are typically charged with recommending policy changes that will ensure the local housing stock offers options affordable at a range of income levels.
In addition to assessing their uniquely local conditions, Vermont towns face many common housing problems and can learn a lot from the successes reaped elsewhere. The substantial impact of local regulations and other municipal activities on housing supply and affordability is gaining more attention as experts look for new ways to move the needle on the nation’s ongoing housing affordability problems. This recent Strong Towns post highlights ways towns can make a difference without spending a dime.
One way VHFA supports Vermont’s towns is by providing community profiles containing the latest data and indicators of housing need to enable fact-based local decision making. We also provide check lists of tools for addressing housing needs and examples in Vermont and other states of towns that have used specific approaches.