Brushwood Homes, a new modular home builder based in Thetford. File photo.
Vermont Business Magazine Let’s Build Homes (LBH), a statewide coalition of nearly 900 Vermonters and 270 organizations, today unveiled its 2026 legislative agenda aimed at addressing Vermont’s crippling housing shortage and accelerating the production of 30,000 new homes by 2030 - the figure that the state’s own Housing Needs Assessment says we need.
At a State House press conference, Vermont employers joined health care and education leaders to sound the alarm on the state’s housing shortage, calling it one of the most urgent threats to Vermont’s economy, workforce, and health care system - warning that incremental reforms will not solve the shortage.
“In every community, families, workers, and employers are feeling the impact of not having enough homes,” said Miro Weinberger, Executive Chair, Let’s Build Homes. “We know how many homes we need, we know where they belong, and we know what’s standing in the way. Our 2026 agenda is about removing those barriers and accelerating lasting results.”
Vermonters have already reached consensus that the needed homes should be built in and near existing downtowns, village centers, and neighborhoods, places with infrastructure, services, and community life already in place. Yet outdated rules, rising construction costs, financing gaps, and regulatory uncertainty continue to stall housing production and drive-up costs.
Speakers at the event highlighted how the housing shortage is affecting Vermont’s workforce and public systems, from health care to education. Blain Newton of BETA discussed how housing constraints are limiting employers’ ability to recruit and retain workers. Shawn Tester addressed the growing strain the housing shortage places on Vermont’s health care system, from staffing shortages to increased costs. And Jamie Kinnarney, Superintendent of White River Valley Supervisory Union, spoke to the impact that high housing costs have on school enrollment and on the need for policymakers to focus on filling our schools, not closing them down.
LBH’s 2026 legislative agenda is designed to move Vermont from incremental progress to sustained, long-term housing production. The agenda focuses on four core pillars:
- Providing predictability and speed to market by streamlining permitting and reducing delays and uncertainty, particularly in areas where communities want housing.
- Unlocking capital to help viable projects move forward by strengthening and expanding state housing finance tools.
- Reducing construction costs through targeted tax relief, infrastructure support, and modernization of zoning and building codes.
- Lowering the cost to own and rent by expanding homebuyer assistance and protecting rental support for Vermonters with the fewest housing options.
LBH leaders emphasized that while Vermont has made meaningful progress in recent years, the state is still far behind what is needed. Temporary federal funding is expiring, construction costs and interest rates remain high, and without durable state-level solutions, recent gains risk stalling or reversing.
“There is no doubt that Vermont faces many acute challenges – but there is also no scenario where we create a sustainable path forward without growth in every community,” said Neale Lunderville, CEO of Vermont Gas and Let’s Build Homes Board Member. “To get growth, we need more families. To get more families, we need more homes. And to get more homes, we must finish the work of housing reform this session to make way for a homebuilding boom across Vermont.”
Let’s Build Homes stands ready to work with legislators, state agencies, regional partners, and communities across Vermont to turn this agenda into action during the 2026 legislative session.
Let’s Build Homes’ 2026 legislative platform:
About Let’s Build Homes
Let’s Build Homes is a growing coalition of more than 800 Vermonters and 250 organizations working to create a Vermont with abundant housing for households of all income levels. Through impactful policy change and grassroots action, LBH supports the creation of 40,000 new homes by 2030 so communities can thrive in harmony with Vermont’s working lands and remain affordable, vibrant, and inclusive.
1.15.2026. Montpelier, VT — Let’s Build Homes
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