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Vermont officials cite aging housing stock, $700 million in recent investments and new tools to track production
Summary
DHCD deputy commissioner reviewed state housing data, noting about 25% of Vermont housing predates 1940, an estimated 500–600 units fall out of service annually, and roughly $700 million has been invested in housing since the pandemic; the department has launched programs and a near-real-time dashboard to track building activity.
Deputy Commissioner Nate Bora Larry of the Department of Housing and Community Development told the Natural Resources & Energy Committee on Jan. 28 that Vermont is contending with an older housing stock and a slow recovery in housing production despite substantial recent investment. "We have one of the oldest housing stocks in the country with 25% of our housing built before 1940," he said, adding that the state estimates "around 500 or 600 units are falling into disrepair or offline each year."
Bora Larry credited federal pandemic-era funding with enabling innovation and program creation. "Since the pandemic started we've invested $700,000,000 in housing," he said, listing CARES Act and ARPA receipts as sources that helped seed programs such as VHIP (a housing improvement program) and MERV (mobile home investment and repair). He cautioned that permit counts do not equal completed housing, noting that while permit issuance has begun to rebound (over 2,600 permits reported in recent years), not every permit results in a finished unit.
The department presented program metrics: VHIP has funded roughly 1,100–1,200 units with about $45 million in state investment; property owners have contributed roughly $43 million alongside state funds. Bora Larry said the average VHIP award is about $39,000 and landlords can receive up to $50,000 per unit, a structure meant to bring units online quickly. He also described MERS as now base-funded, making manufactured-home repairs and foundation work a permanent tool to help residents remain housed.
To improve oversight of where housing is actually built, DHCD unveiled a near-real-time dashboard developed with BCGI that uses E‑911 and appraisal data to show development sites, planned projects and completions. "We had no tool in existence that could in real time tell us where houses are being built," Bora Larry said. The dashboard is live and includes reporting functions so local users can flag mismatches.
The department also described cross-agency work on permitting timelines, fee deferrals and rulemaking on elements of the governor's housing executive order, including wetlands and energy code changes. Bora Larry said those rulemakings are underway and that the state's permitting modernization efforts are being coordinated by the Agency of Digital Services.
Looking ahead, the department urged continued investment and attention to materials and labor costs, which Bora Larry identified as the largest constraints on production. He described several pilot and programmatic efforts intended to speed housing delivery without reducing regulatory protections.
