The 2024 legislative session was marked by a need for significant investment in housing, education financing, and flood recovery, among others, and limited existing resources. Cathedral Square’s top three legislative priorities, which included the need for additional investments in housing, services, long-term care and SASH, were impacted by the resource-scarce environment of the 2024 session. The outcomes on our priorities were mixed with some progress made but much more work to be done as we embark on planning for next year’s priorities!
The Vermont Housing & Conservation Coalition (VHCC) is hosting its annual Legislative Day at the State House in Montpelier on Wednesday, February 14 and we hope you will join us! This is an opportunity for you to speak directly with your elected officials about why affordable housing is important to you. Several of our staff will be there throughout the day to help you connect with your legislators and share your story. And there will be ice cream!
Cathedral Square’s top three legislative priorities fared well after a tumultuous end to the 2023 legislative session. Increases include Medicaid reimbursement rates and the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB) base budget, plus one-time funding to continue the SASH for All pilot and invest in housing production and rehabilitation. None of these priorities would have been realized without working with partner organizations through coalitions such as the Long-Term Care Crisis Coalition, the Vermont Housing and Conservation Coalition, and the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition, to name a few.
The Vermont Housing and Conservation Coalition (VHCC) Legislative Day presents an opportunity for housing and conservation partners to raise awareness about the importance of Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) investments and community results. Legislators need to hear from you—Vermonters doing the work on the ground—about ways VHCB investments are addressing some of Vermont’s most pressing issues, such as homelessness, water quality, rural economic development, and more.
Cathedral Square is proud to join with many of our housing partners from around Vermont to urge the state to increase its investment in affordable housing by $175 million during the 2023 legislative session. We recognize that safe, affordable housing is the foundation of health, individual and community well-being, and economic, racial, and social justice. We urge incoming lawmakers to prioritize funding for affordable housing so that all Vermonters can thrive.
Every year, the Vermont Housing and Conservation Coalition (VHCC), of which Cathedral Square is an active member, hosts Legislative Day at the State House. This year the event is virtual, so let's fill the Zoom room and show legislators the broad range of support for affordable housing and land conservation throughout Vermont. The hour-long kickoff starts at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 17. Read more and join us!
A new article from Shelterforce reinforces what we have known for a long time about the connection between health and housing: safe, affordable housing is critical to good health, especially during a pandemic.
