Housing in Vermont is very expensive compared to the rest of the country. The median home price in Vermont is 27% higher than the national median and housing costs in Vermont are the 8th highest in the nation. Factors contributing to high housing prices include cold winters requiring expensive heating, an aging housing stock, low population growth, strict zoning laws, and high property taxes. The lack of affordable housing is causing problems such as younger families leaving the state, rising homelessness, and families living in substandard housing. Possible solutions proposed include relaxing zoning laws, reducing taxes and costs, subsidizing weatherization, and building more affordable housing units.

1. Housing as a
Human Right

2. 27%The median price of housing in Vermont is 27% greater than the country as a
whole. This contributes to Vermont being ranked as being the 8th most
expensive state in the country, 16% more than the average state

3. Why is Vermont housing so expensive?
- Cold Winters
- Heating is necessary six months of
the year and requires the added
cost of insulation and
weatherization
- Old housing stock
- The housing stock in Vermont is
among the oldest in the country,
averaging between 40-50 years,
requiring more expensive
maintenance and upkeep
- Low population and few
immigrants
- Smaller and expensive labor force.
- Strict zoning laws
- Fewer large scale developments.
Many homes need to be custom
built
- Taxes
- 7th highest taxes in the country

4. How does VT look compared to the rest of USA?
VT - $269,900: 2 beds, 2 baths. Old, rural home. MS - $275,000: 4 beds, 4 baths. New, suburban.
With a few exceptions, only coastal states have higher housing costs than
Vermont. More expensive states are rapidly growing, fueling a housing boom,
while economic growth in Vermont is half the national rate. This is an
example of what approximately the same amount of money can buy you in
other states, compared to how far it goes in VT.

5. What effect does the lack of affordable housing
have on the population?
- Younger families with kids are not moving to Vermont, thereby failing to
replace the elder generation
- As of 2016, Vermont birth rates have been the lowest in the state’s history
since the pre-Civil War era
- The homeless population rises along with the cost of housing
- With so few options, families are forced to accept substandard housing,
leading to “serious health concerns,” from lead paint and mold

6. What can be done to fix the problem?
- Relax zoning restrictions at both the state and local levels
- Reduce property taxes or cost of building materials
- Subsidize weatherization programs
- Build SRO’s (Single Room Occupancy)
- Promote the moving of younger families to the state, by building new and
sustainable suburban complexes
- Encourage the use of solar panels to bring down electricity costs in newly
built houses and apartments

7. Affordable housing as a human right
Housing is a human right and a necessity for healthy, growing societies. It is a
valuable resource that everyone should have access to, as it acts as a place of
safety and warmth.
“The ache for home lies in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are
and not be questioned.”
- Maya Angelou

8. Bibliography
Comen, Evan. “The Fastest Growing (and Shrinking) States: A Closer Look.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 15
Jan. 2018,
www.usatoday.com/story/money/economy/2018/01/15/fastest-growing-and-shrinking-states-closer-look/1019429001/.
Galloway, Anne, et al. “Vermontâ™™s Annual Count of Homelessness Shows Mixed Results.” VTDigger, 1 June 2018,
www.vtdigger.org/2018/06/01/vermonts-annual-count-homelessness-shows-mixed-results/.
Jun, Elizabeth Gribkoff, et al. “Study: Affordable Housing 'out of Reach' for Many Vermonters.” VTDigger, 14 June 2018,
www.vtdigger.org/2018/06/14/study-affordable-housing-reach-many-vermonters/.
“Vermont Household Income.” Department of Numbers,
www.deptofnumbers.com/income/vermont/.
Woolf, Art. “Number of VT Births Lowest since before Civil War.” Burlington Free Press, Burlington Free Press, 23 June 2016,
www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/2016/06/23/number-vt-births-lowest-since-before-civil-war/86204456/.
Zillow, Inc. “Vermont Home Prices & Home Values.” Zillow,
www.zillow.com/vt/home-values/.