[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-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],{"_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",6089152,"mediaKeyId","2875977-3f001eb198082d82ab150384e7a0a4a2","parentId",2875977,"title","HomeShare Vermont tells Senate committee modest state buy-in yields outsized housing savings","audioSeconds",2207,"startMs",13444,"endMs",2221440,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2875977-3f001eb198082d82ab150384e7a0a4a2&start=13&end=2221","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2875977-3f001eb198082d82ab150384e7a0a4a2/thumbnail_13444.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6089152/Vermont/HomeShare-Vermont-tells-Senate-committee-modest-state-buy-in-yields-outsized-housing-savings","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6089152-b7e4375f00450d9d16a0e1e13b7ee906/orig.mp4?Expires=1770545276&Signature=Wfx5mQucNS38-hLplIJtXzQuZo7LZLGUv-7Wovp3z7hC53-vsDLAWhmwOKjTt0sLUNaVgRincDgi250nV6ph14aBqwKdogYYY73kqO9SC7TZDzrGPRoF3Yle1VIxqQKpYfNphlC~cPE7T80BjkpBJVwXkbaxs~RdTahMnC8aUYt1Eksb8AxojOq6u88UvSqdQoM7FiyPOPnjEWctBsSZUMHllbaQdm9v7T-ISgG7UvBzEb8oTkEgb2BBuSMSpEiHFuu2RAoNlyEstqoHxJzUMUGHQO3Y9tlZ~5I99Lwrtaf4HdGgiSCYGBT75Jn859zAJYFkDJoFxWspmNbuVfpWlw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-04-04T12:32:51Z","article","HomeShare Vermont Director Connor Cummins told the Senate Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee in April that the nonprofit’s long‑running home‑sharing program pairs people with extra room in their homes with people seeking affordable housing and low‑cost assistance.

The program, Cummins said, has operated about 43 years and works statewide with targeted expansions planned for Windham and Windsor counties, the Northeast Kingdom and parts of Rutland. Cummins asked lawmakers to convert a $235,000 one‑time appropriation included in the House budget into ongoing base funding so the program can scale case management and outreach without later cutting matches or services.

Why it matters: HomeShare uses existing housing stock to create low‑cost units without new construction, permitting or wastewater review required under Act 250; Cummins told the committee an investment of $408,000 last fiscal year produced more than $1.3 million in estimated savings for participating households and communities.

Cummins described the model and some program details: hosts in HomeShare can be as young as the late 20s or over 100; guests’ average age is roughly late 40s; hosts may charge up to $650 per month and matches may include up to 12 hours per week of agreed‑upon assistance. “A quarter of our guests are paying no rent whatsoever,” Cummins said, describing the tradeoff between rent and hours of assistance. He added, “We don’t call it a lease, but it I mean, for all intents and purposes, probably, legally, it would stand up a lease.”

Program safeguards and scale: Cummins described screening that includes multiple background checks and reference checks, a 90‑minute interview with case managers, trial matches of roughly two weeks and ongoing check‑ins after placement. He said HomeShare employs four full‑time case managers plus one part‑time staff member in Windsor County and reported 274 people in matches as of the end of last year; quarter‑three figures were pending at the time of the briefing.

Financials and outcomes: Cummins presented HomeShare’s return on investment to the committee, saying the $408,000 investment produced roughly $1.3 million in combined rent‑savings and avoided care costs. He described the organization’s published averages (rent amounts varied by region) and said program changes this year include a higher maximum rent for standalone accessory dwelling units (ADUs) — raised to $850 per month — to better compete with short‑term rental markets. Cummins estimated the program’s cost per created housing unit at about $2,700 “give or take.”

Service delivery and partnerships: To grow without diluting services, Cummins said HomeShare is leasing part‑time case management capacity from local partners — for example, the Thompson Senior Center — and intends to place two part‑time case managers in the Northeast Kingdom, one in Windham County, and a full‑time intake/reception position in South Burlington to free outreach staff for marketing and recruitment.

Funding ask and next steps: Cummins said the House included $235,000 one‑time for HomeShare in its budget but that amount did not appear in the governor’s recommended budget. He urged the committee and appropriators to consider ongoing funding so the program can expand gradually without jeopardizing existing matches. Committee members asked for follow‑up information on caseload projections and partner MOUs; Cummins said MOUs were drafted and that training modules are ready to start if state funding is confirmed.

Provenance: Committee presentation and Q&A with Connor Cummins (HomeShare Vermont), Senate Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee, April (transcript excerpted).

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Economic Development - 2025-04-04-8:30 AM","oneSentenceSummary","HomeShare Vermont Director Connor Cummins told the Senate Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee in April that the nonprofit’s home‑sharing program pairs people with extra room with people seeking affordable housing and low‑cost assistance and asked lawmakers to convert a $235,000 one‑time House appropriation into base funding to support expansion.","taxTitle","Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs, SENATE, Committees, Legislative , Vermont","taxId",37662,"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},6089147,"Former housing adviser Earhart Blanca urges Senate to restore low‑income housing funds, calls for denser, taller development",2414,2283030,4697930,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2875977-3f001eb198082d82ab150384e7a0a4a2&start=2283&end=4697","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2875977-3f001eb198082d82ab150384e7a0a4a2/thumbnail_2283030.jpg","/articles/6089147/Vermont/Former-housing-adviser-Earhart-Blanca-urges-Senate-to-restore-lowincome-housing-funds-calls-for-denser-taller-development","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6089147-ca2e0b6f219aafb35a9972cf0c6e5e67/orig.mp4?Expires=1770545276&Signature=UQl1OuQWC52LVEPWlPUJdFUhGsVoEbT98wdnLyd-Dxq1kYFLY8MAP529xG4QEE9Ypnj-L3GYB1vakdlK9N4BPZGAcQ4xcD~2vGMH9kpTSM6eWSpN3Z~tx8c7~nB2cmH0uJL1ZmIs6N6yTYWYNWhjO1qbJGgn~-0UiB1rk31s-O-7wYCBUQt05ja3EbVW13bBmVZqr8oDNPnYvJp6IYSM~aPBgrJKDYT6ZvlMMVf3k4aU2oTd6NP7XzRfFTklrW8yM1cdk35VJH7USTbZafoGCPuutbJHBCPj7moj5SRmmFsco8k6HeiE97qfIRdXUfXY16xgY5K3BBmAljx7YGoR8A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Earhart Blanca, a retired housing policy adviser with decades of statewide affordable‑housing experience, told the Senate Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee in April that Vermont needs both more subsidy for the lowest‑income renters and regulatory changes to increase density and lower per‑unit development costs.

Blanca urged the Senate to press appropriators to restore about $27 million in additional state funding the House originally included for the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB) and related programs, noting the House reduced that figure in its appropriations work and the governor’s recommendation did not include the full amount. Blanca said federal changes and the end of some pandemic funding increase the urgency of state support for low‑income rental housing.

Why it matters: Blanca framed the issue as a two‑part problem — rising construction and development costs that require greater density to amortize fixed costs, and a continuing shortage of deeply subsidized rental units for households at or below 30% of area median income. She contrasted long‑term savings from permanently affordable housing with the upfront cost of development.

Key funding and policy points: Blanca said the House had originally placed an additional $27 million into VHCB‑type funding but that appropriations reduced much of that; she asked the Senate to press colleagues in appropriations to restore greater funding for deeply affordable rental housing. She pointed to two federal and state funding risks: (1) the waning of pandemic (ARPA) funds that previously supported development; and (2) a floated possible loss of roughly $23 million in an unnamed federal program tied to heating and cooling assistance that would affect the state budget picture.

Examples and preservation: Blanca cited Northgate in Burlington as an example of public‑investment preservation that produced long‑term rent stabilization: an earlier $20 million legacy investment, she said, has produced housing with market rents today that are far below current unaffordable market levels. She also described challenges at Decker Towers — public housing facing operating and capital shortfalls — and discussed HUD tools such as RAD (Rental Assistance Demonstration) and HUD restructuring as possible avenues to stabilize operations.

Regulation and density: Blanca urged more permissive height and density rules for projects that receive state funding. She argued that increasing allowable floor‑area ratios and permitting taller buildings would spread fixed development costs over more units, lowering per‑unit costs and enabling more workforce and deeply affordable housing. “We can’t buy our way out of this problem,” Blanca told the committee, adding that higher density and targeted subsidy must work in tandem.

Numbers Blanca highlighted: she referenced an estimated shortfall of more than 20,000 permanently affordable units needed for households at or below 30% area median income nationwide (citing National Housing Coalition data), and suggested Burlington’s share of the five‑year need could be about 2,000 units. Blanca also noted the House’s additional VHCB funding ask and said the House appropriations version cut that to roughly $5 million while the original House committee version had been larger.

Next steps and ask to senators: Blanca asked senators to advocate with appropriators for additional VHCB and deeply affordable rental funding, to consider regulatory incentives for density tied to state funds, and to explore state help for public housing authorities confronting capital and operating shortfalls when federal support is inadequate.

Provenance: Testimony and Q&A with Earhart Blanca to the Senate Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee, April (transcript excerpted).","Earhart Blanca, a retired housing policy adviser and former outreach representative for Senator Sanders, told the Senate Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee that state and federal funding gaps threaten permanently affordable housing and urged lawmakers to prioritize deep subsidy to serve lowest‑income households. Blanca also","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

HomeShare Vermont tells Senate committee modest state buy-in yields outsized housing savings

Former housing adviser Earhart Blanca urges Senate to restore low‑income housing funds, calls for denser, taller development