Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Former housing adviser Earhart Blanca urges Senate to restore low‑income housing funds, calls for denser, taller development
Summary
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
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…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
