[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6378023,"mediaKeyId","2138502-8630c977911767202e040311ead74be7","parentId",2138502,"title","Legal aid funding wraps up as demand for rental assistance and tenant services grows, witnesses say","audioSeconds",503,"startMs",2853000,"endMs",3356000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2138502-8630c977911767202e040311ead74be7&start=2853&end=3356","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2138502-8630c977911767202e040311ead74be7/thumbnail_2853000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6378023/Vermont/Legal-aid-funding-wraps-up-as-demand-for-rental-assistance-and-tenant-services-grows-witnesses-say","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6378023-17374c3a7c94a34e025e3b1455a16001/orig.mp4?Expires=1773631038&Signature=b5hNqkTTtNujKgU4ZPAmKmLMVxDRPZrI4bpFyCa3JAvoOeO0rKSbJOtJzu~ddrXHDOZjxg1kT1d8NDHJ8Tpge4sW3cCLuba4LUQboSDB5sgtzSA7PWRJpch37fAsXpg~1SEOybrfv2QPcweTZSLHH-iCG081tyFCgf-EbSDMxrqlwlE4jMSxnAhTX79UeR4y8yqKONMn7EfX1pgFSC5-9HHC~P~1h-U29MkeZYxm8x7cvKKio6uZ3TEFZ2IfLW4HGqriepYlzh0PPWqIBXoNLFLGCddlKSIa1FPe5ILFnRAe4ej-ow11aJl-f7dlCIA0~j-eOoFCVKTKheOQFs751A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-01-22T16:42:33.78Z","article","At the Jan. 22 joint hearing, Vermont Legal Aid and community housing advocates described rising demand for tenant assistance and concerns about the end of current federal grant funding for certain legal-aid housing programs.

Jean Murray, project director of the Housing for Everyone Law Project at Vermont Legal Aid, said federally funded housing-work grants that supported intensive outreach and representation will end June 30, 2025. Murray told the committees that Legal Aid used judiciary case lists to send outreach letters in roughly 92% of eviction filings and opened assistance cases for about half of the people who responded. She said those outreach efforts materially increased the number of tenants seeking help.

Murray described the grant-supported program’s results as follows: Legal Aid and other programs helped roughly half of tenants who called after outreach; that assistance often prevented defaults or led to settlements at rent-escrow hearings. She said the organization’s funding decline will reduce its capacity to provide housing-stability services.

Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunities associate director Jess Hyman said calls to the statewide housing helpline have more than doubled since 2018, with more than 3,000 contacts last year. CVOEO reported rising shares of calls about eviction (from 13% in 2023 to 15% last year) and habitability (from 23% to 30%). Hyman and Murray both emphasized that short-term rental assistance and case outreach can prevent filings and homelessness.

Legislative witnesses also described new or recently funded programs: the Vermont State Housing Authority’s eviction-prevention rent-assistance program (funded with a $2.5 million appropriation) requires landlord participation, a signed one-year lease and dismissal of an eviction filing as program conditions; community-based HOP (Housing Opportunity Program) funds provide short-term rental assistance with sustainability screening and local administration.

Why it matters: Witnesses said that short-term rental assistance and tenant outreach reduce eviction filings and that program design (eligibility, landlord participation requirements, sustainability screens) affects uptake. Murray and others urged lawmakers to consider sustained funding and program design choices if they seek to prevent evictions at scale.

Witnesses also discussed tenant-rights pilot programs. Jean Murray noted a pilot to provide full legal representation to tenants in specific counties had started recently; she estimated a statewide universal counsel program would cost in the tens of millions of dollars annually (Jean Murray referenced a prior estimate of about $35 million a year). No formal funding decision was made at the Jan. 22 hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House General - 2025-01-22 9:45AM","oneSentenceSummary","Witnesses told lawmakers that Vermont Legal Aid’s federally funded housing work is scheduled to end June 30, 2025, while demand for tenant assistance has increased; outreach data and small rental-assistance programs were discussed as policymakers weigh funding and program design.","taxTitle","General & Housing, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative , Vermont","taxId",30954,"location","Vermont","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6378027,"Judiciary cites judge vacancies, staffing and process timing as barriers to timely eviction resolution",219,1922000,2141000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2138502-8630c977911767202e040311ead74be7&start=1922&end=2141","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2138502-8630c977911767202e040311ead74be7/thumbnail_1922000.jpg","/articles/6378027/Vermont/Judiciary-cites-judge-vacancies-staffing-and-process-timing-as-barriers-to-timely-eviction-resolution","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6378027-05142d4c91b52354414a661cf5f0da92/orig.mp4?Expires=1773631038&Signature=jwGxS2bnRifJGAM5DTOsvn4-5lSrJLhZ1ivd5whRzGJW9Jk6gRMxSE3DKCevllWp1hPhttkCEasKgPXOqFd8eH3Z9rLwHLDcvwOQSi6nqqqrt4xh6uObk3Bl-lScU-92a3FXi4vmTFil0X1mdXaMrr62KFVq1Eb2pnspZAdjCVKgS6rAxZ7oknGF3pSF68dHNEptr81mSx3JR8otcFvwarD~G255uCYCiRQyCyNFNG6uCIT~R2QivTz1nQGb7gzNLXQdgwGy5XNdpCcK2Jwl~ArNRQaYy6Y8S4jGQQ152jxTcC6GsEtGVuazet9qyUKvcszMLAK3aanbtOAV~tk6dw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","State court administrators and housing advocates told lawmakers at a Jan. 22 joint hearing that rising eviction filings, judge vacancies and procedural choices are the principal reasons some eviction cases take months to resolve.

Terry Corson, Vermont’s state court administrator, told the joint Senate and House committees that fiscal year 2024 brought 1,634 landlord-tenant cases statewide; 55% of those filings were for nonpayment of rent. Corson described a statutory, expedited procedure for nonpayment cases that includes a shortened notice period and regular rent-escrow hearings.

Corson said the judiciary aspires to a six-month disposition guideline for landlord-tenant cases and noted that staffing — including recent judicial appointments that restored full staffing after vacancies — materially affects how quickly courts can schedule merits hearings. Witnesses told lawmakers the single greatest obstacle to timely disposition in recent years was judge vacancies and limited calendar days in rural courthouses.

Advocates and committee members also flagged how choices by landlords and litigants lengthen timelines: landlords may delay filing to negotiate with tenants or wait to serve cases, and some filings result in default judgments when defendants do not respond. Jean Murray of Vermont Legal Aid said court disposition data do not reliably label case outcomes in a way that makes statewide “landlord win” vs “tenant win” tallies available without manual review of individual dockets.

Why it matters: Court timelines shape the real-world consequences of eviction proceedings. Shorter, more predictable dispositions reduce uncertainty for landlords and tenants; advocates said court delays can increase homelessness risk and complicate attempts to resolve habitability claims and rent escrow outcomes.

Testimony included several operational details: courts schedule rent-escrow blocks every two weeks for nonpayment matters; if rent is not paid into court as ordered, a landlord may seek a writ of possession. Advocates noted many cases are resolved at rent-escrow or by settlement; Corson and other witnesses said remote participation has increased tenant participation but also raised concerns about equitable access to evidence and video technology in hearings requiring live witness testimony.

No formal change was ordered at the hearing. Committee members requested further information and suggested the report’s recommended follow-up research on timelines and court data be pursued to inform any statutory reforms that aim to speed or alter eviction processes.","At a Jan. 22 joint hearing, the state court administrator and advocates described rising eviction filings, an aspirational six-month case disposition guideline, and how judge vacancies and process choices by landlords affect how long eviction cases take to resolve.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6378029,"Vermont study committee frames landlord-tenant issues, offers topics for legislative action",1661,178000,1839000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2138502-8630c977911767202e040311ead74be7&start=178&end=1839","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2138502-8630c977911767202e040311ead74be7/thumbnail_178000.jpg","/articles/6378029/Vermont/Vermont-study-committee-frames-landlord-tenant-issues-offers-topics-for-legislative-action","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6378029-19e6609debbd4f1e54937a14163b24be/orig.mp4?Expires=1773631038&Signature=i9uC2E3IAffscOzUMwJOrGiiw~X1LpIFpYvF9ZWB4hBK3~T5-nYBlEu~DtwqAIqb4y3j00Ocs2FautBdySYJrPvyPwunrHvSQQzEaZx1HBoWtQXOmyGld0PiodLg0OwLKv3~Ca180JehdaHnBME0rYGoJhtBXQKte6VBfuowNPGHwCy0wTfEfkx6uQCqBIP9L2N7b~WdSnUtnj9elGlUt59cukuHXNUg5IGpqyvKBJGk7noZAQHhwAGxcOkjWzym1I-2eEONJ-GeQGhmDFxkpXJK-Vm-Bz81FfiMoERVpQ0i~DT5QzWmr8-qcwNhfifOMt9S0bGiAysM-T-82tteXw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A joint hearing of the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs and the House Committee on General and Housing on Jan. 22 heard the results of a fall study committee that reviewed Vermont’s landlord-tenant laws and the eviction process.

The committee, chaired by Representative Emily Krasnow, met six times to take testimony from stakeholders including tenants, landlords, judiciary representatives and housing experts. The report does not endorse specific bills but identifies topics for further legislative work: a rental registry, just-cause tenant protections, tenant community right-to-purchase opportunities, tenant right to counsel, rent stabilization or rent control, and additional housing supports.

Krasnow told lawmakers the committee purposely did not adopt specific legislative positions but instead sought to “ground conversation” for the session by collecting testimony and presenting questions for additional study. Committee members and staff emphasized the report is intended as a resource for policymakers and noted it collected stakeholder testimony, public comment and presentations by state housing experts.

Why it matters: Witnesses and committee members repeatedly tied landlord-tenant law discussions to Vermont’s housing availability and affordability problems, saying those broader market conditions shape eviction patterns and tenant bargaining power. The report notes that both tenants and landlords identified housing affordability and access as central to eviction trends.

Committee staff and members said tenants described a power imbalance that discourages habitability complaints and can lead to “self-eviction” — tenants leaving to avoid an eviction record. Landlords told the committee they face costs and risks (including responding to criminal or disorderly conduct in units) and are concerned that new requirements could be passed to tenants through higher rents.

The report also flags empirical gaps the committee did not have time to resolve: the relationship between evictions and homelessness, granular data on timelines in eviction proceedings, how landlords respond to price pressures, and unfinished recommendations from earlier legislative work.

What lawmakers heard: Committee staff summarized testimony that some Vermont municipalities have considered or proposed charter amendments or local regulations (including rental registries), and that the group recommended a statewide approach to avoid a patchwork of local laws. Members discussed trade-offs between a “just cause” eviction regime and whether rent limitations or other measures would be required to prevent circumvention by lease design or rent increases.

The committee asked the Legislature to consider targeted follow-up work on the listed topics, including further empirical analysis and convening stakeholders to draft specific statutory language. No formal actions or votes were taken at the Jan. 22 hearing; the report was presented for policymaker use and further discussion.","A bipartisan landlord-tenant study committee that met six times produced a report outlining areas for further investigation — including a rental registry, just-cause eviction protections, tenant right to counsel, and rent stabilization — and presented findings at a Jan. 22 joint hearing of House and Senate housing committees.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Legal aid funding wraps up as demand for rental assistance and tenant services grows, witnesses say

Judiciary cites judge vacancies, staffing and process timing as barriers to timely eviction resolution

Vermont study committee frames landlord-tenant issues, offers topics for legislative action