Housing Committees

Most Vermont towns do not have municipal staff dedicated to housing. Typically, the purpose of a housing committee is to assess and recommend ways to improve the affordability of the town's housing stock for its residents and workers. Although the steps below are focused on establishing a municipally-sponsored committee, several other organizational structures have been pursued with success in Vermont, such as resident advocacy groups and faith-based committees.

1. Suggest the committee to the town's board of elected representatives.

2. Select a committee structure. Options include: 

• Subcommittee of municipal Planning Commission
• Subcommittee of town board of elected representatives 
• Modeling the structure of an existing committee

3. Identify any specific town objectives the committee should be tasked with.

• Has a Housing Needs Assessment been completed recently for the town or region? Consider tasking the committee with reviewing this assessment and making specific recommendations to address the needs identified.
• Has the town-elected board been faced with specific local issues pertaining to housing, such as the impact of a new employer in the area increasing demand for homes for its workers?  The new housing committee could be charged with making recommendations to address this new dynamic.

4. Draft a charter or resolution for the elected board and request including it on the agenda of an upcoming public meeting. (Examples: Essex, Winooski, South Burlington)

5. Recruit potential committee members and set terms. (Committee membership strategies)

6. Ask elected board to approve members.

• Some communities "interview" applicants at a meeting of the elected board. Others suggest a full initial roster of members and terms for a approval by the board.   

7. Initiate first committee meeting.

• Task one of the members to convene the first meeting or set a place and time for the first meeting and invite all members. 

8. Elect officers and clarify roles. Typical roles: 

• President
• Vice President
• Secretary - draft and post minutes, ensure meetings are warned 
• Liaison(s) to other relevant committee(s) such as planning commission 
• Spokesperson for public meetings related to housing

9. Review charter from elected board and conditions in the community to prioritize.      

Here are a few examples of different housing committee structures. As community need, capacity, and interest changes, you can expand your committee and change its structure.

• Housing discussion meet-ups: Community members who are passionate about fair and affordable housing can meet to discuss possible solutions in an informal way. This option allows people with less housing knowledge or background to become more informed in a supportive setting. This structure is excellent for increasing public awareness if affordable housing is a relatively new topic of discussion in your community.
• Resident advocacy group: Another way to utilize passion and expertise around affordable housing is through a resident advocacy group. This structure functions outside of municipal government and advises local decision-makers about affordable and fair housing initiatives. One of the benefits of this structure is that it allows for community-based advocacy for systemic change.
• Town-supported committee: Housing committees that use this common structure function as either a subcommittee of a municipal planning commission or as a separate municipal housing committee. The municipality can establish an ad hoc committee with the mission of examining a specific subject (such as the need for affordable housing or special needs housing) or it can be a standing committee with the ongoing mission of reporting annually to the Planning Commission on the community’s housing needs.

• What is the goal of the committee? 
• Will the committee be resident-driven or municipally driven?
• Will the committee be project-based or a standing committee?
  • Is there a specific issue or initiative that needs to be completed?
  • Or will the committee be handling long-term affordable housing solutions and multiple initiatives?
• What is your committee’s timeline? 
  • For establishment? 
  • To complete a specific project? 
  • Are there any deadlines to consider?
• Who should be on the committee?

• Conduct a housing needs assessment
• Ensure that your municipal plan supports housing 
• Pursue changes that will help meet needs identified in the housing needs assessment, including 
  • Inclusionary housing incentives or requirements
  • Accessory dwelling unit zoning
  • AirBnB and other short-term rentals
  • Accessibility opportunities for rehabilitating older units
• Create a Housing Trust Fund
• Advise planning commission and elected officials about housing impacts of existing land use regulations and upcoming municipal decisions   
• Improve community understanding about the relationships between housing affordability, equity and economic vibrancy. 

Often, the same few people are working on multiple campaigns and projects in a community. While it is always valuable to reach out to the community's strong activists and leaders, it is also valuable to gain new perspectives and increase the capacity of other community members to organize and envision housing. Some ways to conduct a wider recruitment strategy include:

• House parties: Hosting a public house party can be a great, casual way to start the conversation about affordable housing, or continue the conversation while including new and interested people in the area.
• Business breakfasts: Similarly, a morning meet-up at a local business for breakfast can help to involve a wider range of community members in a public setting. This can increase the housing committee’s visibility and help to include more voices in your discussions.
• Faith communities: Ask local faith communities if they have interest in discussing fair and affordable housing. This also helps to expand the pool of voices in the discussion, providing the perspective of another group of people who may be interested in participating in a committee.

Housing committee members

Composition of the committee should strive to be reflective of the community while including members with expertise in the complex issues associated with housing.  Ideally candidates would be sought from the local regional planning commission, school district, housing non-profit and include a private sector landlord, housing developer, renter and homeowner. Consider widely circulating a position description, such as this one used in Essex, to recruit applicants.   

Ideal committee size

To enable the committee to be satisfied with its progress, some existing committees report that 7-9 members is ideal.  This size allows the committee to represent the various viewpoints and areas of expertise needed for progress while not being too big to brainstorm and discuss important issues together.  Having too few members can place undue burden for committee work on single members and cause burnout, especially if the committee does not have municipal staff assistance. 

Terms for committee members

Committee members are typically appointed for a specific period of time, such as 2 years.  Terms of less than 2 years may not provide enough time to accomplish tasks at hand, especially when a regulation change must be approved by the town's planning commission and/or elected board.  Typically, when a member's term is up, they either apply to elected board for reappointment or leave the committee. Term options include:

• Mix of 2-year 3-year committee membership terms 
• All 2- year terms
• All 3-year terms

Connecting with community members is critical to improving housing affordability through local actions. These tools can help Vermont communities benefit from lessons learned elsewhere and use proven effective communication and outreach tools: 

• Municipal Engagement Tools for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion  
• Build public will with tools from Dr. Tiffany Manual and TheCaseMade. 
• Look for coalitions through Strong Towns affiliates such as Vermonters for People-Oriented Places 
• Inquire with Vermont Council on Rural Development about a "community visit program"
• Visit Sightline's One-Stop Shop of  "abundant housing" messaging resources
• Explore Enterprise Community Engagement Toolkit to best connect with residents and build interest
  • Piecing it Together: A Framing Playbook for Affordable Housing Advocates
• Take advantage of best practices for affordable housing messaging shared by the Thriving Communities initiative 
• Replicate best practices for building local support in this Housing Toolbox for Massachusetts.

Tools in the Toolbox for Vermont towns (Presentation video and slide deck from Vermont Housing Summit, October 2021)

Housing Committees as a Tool to Meet Local Housing Needs (Webinar, Thriving Communities, August 2020)