Housing

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Almost 1 in four homes in Vermont is a second home.  As we age, our households are smaller, which means the same number of houses holds fewer people. 

 

We have a housing crisis that is creating an affordability and a workforce crisis. We have to prioritize development of higher density housing near our job centers, on public transportation and on municipal infrastructure. This is one of the most powerful levers we have to increase affordability in VT. 

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Rebecca supports a range of housing strategies, including:

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• Targeting state subsidy for municipal wastewater near job density, to bring down the cost of development near where people need to work. 

• Changing the education funding formula to correct the way it rewards and subsidizes second home owners at the expense of residents in many towns. 

• Regulation of short term rentals to ensure private business profits don’t come at the expense of the state’s workforce

• Targeting state dollars for construction for underserved populations, including supportive housing for adults with disabilities

• Exploration of support for new forms of construction, including manufactured housing, that are lower labor and lower cost and faster to install. 

• Setting appropriate rates for nursing and assisted living facilities, so that they can reopen beds for Vermnoters who need more intensive care.

• Rental assistance, to prevent people from falling out of thier housing an into the emergency housing program

• Investment in non congregate shelters for households that are transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing.