Public Assets Institute: many Vermonters fail to meet basic needs as housing, health care and food costs rise

Julie Lowell, economic security policy and outreach director at the Public Assets Institute, briefed the committee on the institute’s State of Working Vermont analysis and urged legislators to consider revenue and policy responses to rising costs in housing, health care and food.

"Our state revenue and spending policies should be addressing health, housing, dignified work, education, food, social security, and a healthy environment," Lowell said, summarizing the policy framework she used in the presentation.

Major findings and numbers presented - Basic needs benchmark: Lowell said a 2023/2024 benchmark shows a single‑parent family of four needs nearly $90,000 a year to meet basic needs. That figure was used as a yardstick to evaluate how many Vermont households meet a minimal standard of living. - Wage gap and minimum wage: Lowell said Vermont’s wages are generally below U.S. averages for the same jobs and that Vermont’s…