Housing availability and affordability is a huge problem today in Hinesburg and all of Vermont. 

Here are actions I have taken to become a fully informed and effective representative for all of Hinesburg:

• Met with experts in the field who live and breathe housing assistance, housing finance and home builders such as Champlain Housing Trust, Evernorth, and Let's Build Homes, Hinesburg Affordable Housing Committee 

• Engaged with Hinesburg residents about their housing experiences -- at work as a nurse, on my bus commute, as I am campaigning, with my friends, literally anywhere I go!

• Learned everything I can through things like Ezra Klein's "Abundance", listening to authoritative sources, and seeking out conversation and education through other community and Vermont leaders

• Participated in education and discussion events such as a showing of "Fault Lines: Inside America's Housing", a documentary followed by a discussion by Let's Build Homes in Burlington

As your Representative in Montpelier, you can rest assured I will bring the same interest, diligence, and open mindedness to all of the issues our state and Hinesburg face today.

Here are my thoughts on what we can do at the state level for our housing situation.

 We don’t have enough homes in Vermont for the amount of people who live here. Those who have outgrown their houses have nowhere to go, or if you want to downsize, you have nowhere to go. It has been estimated that we need to build 5,000-7,000 houses each year. Without the increased supply, the cost goes up. https://outside.vermont.gov/agency/ACCD/ACCD_Web_Docs/Housing/Housing-Needs-Assessment/2025-2029/2025-Factsheet-3-HousingStock.pdf

We need more housing, both low-income and middle-income. Subsidized and market-rate. 

The current barriers are:

• Developers cannot afford to build because of high interest rates (currently at 6.5%) and increased building costs 

• Limited land to build on with current permitting and zoning

• High property taxes add costs to the buyer

Possible solutions at state level:

• Provide additional sources of low-interest financing (such as LIAC from the treasurer’s office) to get projects off the ground. Read more here: https://vhfa.org/developers/programs/liac

• Review permitting and zoning. Let’s build where infrastructure already is, and also look at the countryside and villages too, taking into consideration that not everyone wants to live in condos and apartments. This work already started during the last legislative session and will continue in January (Act 152 and Act 181) to balance the need for increased development and environmental protection. 

• Consider how to lower our property taxes. We have increasing property taxes because those revenues feed our expensive public education system. Our education costs continue to rise because of multiple things such as healthcare costs for school employees, which I will address in a separate publication.  

• Consider the tax structure of second homes. Empty second homes are taxed at the same rate as primary residences. Taxing second home owners at higher rates would contribute more to the tax base. Those who rent out their second homes to low to middle income Vermonters should get a tax break because they are part of the solution to our housing shortage. This revenue could go into creating permanent affordable housing for low-income or help jump start projects by lowering the interest rate as mentioned above. ("Low-income" is defined as a 4-person household making less than $149,640 https://www.getahome.org/eligibility-for-sep/) 

  We can make meaningful steps towards increased housing through multiple solutions. Let’s make it easier to build in Vermont.