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Vermont Human Rights Commission reports rising fair-housing caseload and limited staff resources
Summary
The Vermont Human Rights Commission told the Senate Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee it has stepped up enforcement of fair housing claims but faces staff and funding limits, possible HUD contract changes, and a growing number of disability- and public-assistance-related cases.
The Vermont Human Rights Commission told the Senate Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs Committee on April 1 that fair-housing complaints and enforcement actions have increased while the agency remains thinly staffed.
The commission’s executive director and general counsel, Vik Hartman, said the commission has seven employees and three statewide investigators and has logged 97 new fair-housing intakes so far in the current fiscal year. Hartman said the commission handled 16 commission determinations in fiscal 2024, finding reasonable grounds in seven cases, and currently has 48 open housing cases and 11 cases in litigation.
The commission “promote[s] full civil and human rights in Vermont,” Hartman said, describing the office’s work to investigate complaints, mediate where possible and litigate when conciliation fails. Hartman said…
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