Vermont Business Magazine On September 18, 2018 the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition (VAHC) and the Vermont Coalition to End Homelessness (VCEH) held their joint annual meeting at Our Lady of the Angels Catholic Church in Randolph. About 90 advocates, policy makers, and local leaders on housing and homelessness from across the state were in attendance. Invited speakers included Senate Pro Tempore Tim Ashe, House Speaker Mitzi Johnson, and Democratic Nominee for Governor Christine Hallquist. Governor Scott was invited but unfortunately unable to attend.
The meeting also saw presentations from Gus Seelig, Vermont Housing Conservation Board; Elizabeth Bridgewater, Windham & Windsor Housing Trust, Josh Davis, Groundworks Collaborative; and Bethany Pombar, Vermont Coalition of Runaway & Homeless Youth Programs.
Senate Pro Tempore Tim Ashe praised coalition members for their collaborative work: “The issues that most of you work on every day... one of the things that stands out, is the growing appreciation outside of your advocacy work for what you have all known for a very long time, which is how interconnected the services need to be in order to really improve people's lives.”
House Speaker Mitzi Johnson emphasized the importance of housing: “Housing and addiction are two of those [keystone] issues where, when you make progress on those issues in particular, you start seeing those benefits ripple out into the community.”
Democratic Nominee for Governor Christine Hallquist highlighted some solutions: “I believe that people are homeless as a result of all the [actions] that the rest of us haven't yet taken... People don't just say I'm gonna be homeless for the rest of my life... If people aren't making a living wage, and we are going to be a civilized society, then we have to subsidize housing. A + B = C.”
The Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition also elected its Steering Committee and officers for the coming year, welcoming new member, Elizabeth Bridgewater of the Windsor & Windham Housing Trust, to the Steering Committee. The Coalition was fortunate to have eight returning members willing to continue serving for another year. After many years of service, Ted Wimpey of CVOEO’s Fair Housing Project, stepped down from his position of Chair and is now Vice Chair. Cindy Reid of Cathedral Square was confirmed as the new Chair. Other officers include Sara Kobylenski, Upper Valley Haven, as Treasurer and Alison Friedkin, Downstreet Housing and Community Development, as Secretary. The Steering Committee At-Large Members are Ray Brewster, consultant; Chris Damiani, Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission; Anna Herman, Champlain Housing Trust; and Patricia Tedesco, Vermont Center for Independent Living. You can find their brief bios here.
To view the full meeting, visit: https://vimeopro.com/vtvt/vip/video/291363754.
The Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition is a statewide membership organization dedicated to ensuring that all Vermonters have decent, safe and affordable housing, particularly the state’s low and moderate-income residents, elders, people living with homelessness, and people with disabilities. For more information, visit www.vtaffordablehousing.org.
The mission of the Vermont Coalition to End Homelessness is to end homelessness in Vermont through sharing information, developing resources, providing a forum for decision-making and to promote decent, safe, fair, affordable shelter for all. For more information on the VCEH, visit: http://helpingtohousevt.org/.
Source:Vermont Coalition to End Homelessness