The number of homeless people in the Upper Valley and throughout Vermont is about to balloon.
Many of the 1,700 formerly homeless individuals and families currently living in motels will soon lose their vouchers. Thousands of Vermonters are unemployed, behind in their rent and facing displacement. As described in the Valley News, the Hartford Selectboard is considering a camp as a temporary solution (“Town may designate homeless camp,” July 18).
To its credit, Hartford is being proactive. However, emergency housing has a sad history. Public housing built in the 1950s as a temporary fix still exists. In the 1980s, single-room occupancy and other transitional housing was intended to be a stepping-stone to permanent housing. In most cases that transition never happened.
Once people move into the homeless camp in Hartford, will these tents also become long-term homes?
To prevent camps from becoming the “new normal,” how do we motivate government at the local, state and federal level to create more housing?
At the local level, Hartford has limited financial resources. However, it does have control over zoning. The Selectboard might consider temporary changes to the zoning code designed to disappear once these camps ceased to exist.
What kind of permanent zoning changes might alleviate the shortage of affordable rental housing?
The city of Minneapolis and the state of Oregon have eliminated single-family zoning. There, homeowners can legally carve out “in-law” apartments, which is a cost-effective way to create rental housing. Similarly, Hartford might expand zoning to include additional sites suitable for multi-family housing.
The state of Vermont has greater financial resources with which to address this issue. The Legislature and the governor have allocated $25 million from the $1.25 billion CARES Act funding for rental assistance. However, if as few as 25% of the 76,000 renters in Vermont need assistance, this $25 million will provide each family with only about one month’s rent.
Additionally, the state might require each city or town (above a minimum size) to create an affordable housing plan, and tie financial resources to its progress in implementing the plan.
The Legislature should also consider increasing the percentage of state revenue allocated to housing.
Finally, the federal government needs to play a significant role. It is the only entity with sufficient resources to solve the affordable housing shortage.
Unfortunately, given the current political gridlock, the federal government is unlikely to take bold action. But a simple step, like doubling the funding for Section 8 vouchers and low-income housing tax credits, would make a big difference.
There are no magic bullets. It is expensive to build housing. But before consigning fellow Vermonters to tent camps as temperatures soar in summer and plummet in winter, we need to do something. Tents should not become permanent housing.
John H. Vogel Jr. is a retired Tuck School of Business professor and the chair of the board of Housing Vermont.