[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6317546,"mediaKeyId","2373779-f42954afcfbc484b5d8070e245c326de","parentId",2373779,"title","Vermont advocates push for statewide plan to build service‑supported housing for adults with developmental disabilities","audioSeconds",2042,"startMs",2662000,"endMs",620000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2373779-f42954afcfbc484b5d8070e245c326de&start=2662&end=620","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2373779-f42954afcfbc484b5d8070e245c326de/thumbnail_2662000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6317546/Vermont/Vermont-advocates-push-for-statewide-plan-to-build-servicesupported-housing-for-adults-with-developmental-disabilities","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6317546-5851cbc645477fd46af030cfc3ce1ea8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770968065&Signature=cI~i4UnaxazG4l~2i~GTUrPAC0ZVwqTFcP8WrRLNwbIczPnZvHMCqjgk8BRo6MSGjYjrTQATALLJXKvUVe1ZVnUZJI3AAX9SVAqTmHdaR7cQKPCBX0-tlTeE0b30WKRXnwqTO5jrwobRa57d5JWq-yn5WtzuZte7nqkhwJvEGc9jYj8tLjVfqyptiXkigzRApQpAKtb0eEpUy3BGcdCo2G7~2KmyI6EW5VCF-ZxfLYu-sL56ASPl3OGF37ZZ3u4SYpzdlnZx7ofW2XV1GmjXvPJqx~bgftUc16jpYo3d4rhutOEtkaXHdTDV8DLFR9iGItpkH0iBxvs-rogIS4Xu-w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-02-22T04:55:17.683Z","article","Susan Aronoff, a policy analyst for the Vermont Developmental Disabilities Council, told the House Committee on Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs that Vermont needs a coordinated plan to build service‑supported housing for adults with developmental disabilities.

\"That is the big question,\" Aronoff said of how many units are needed. She cited a 2023 report commissioned by the legislature that estimated a need of about 602 units and summarized the council's recommendation as roughly 600 additional units of service‑supported housing.

Why it matters: Aronoff told the committee that ad‑hoc planning grants and isolated projects will not meet demand and described legal and administrative obstacles that raise development costs or block people with high support needs from existing homeless‑response entry systems. She urged the legislature to authorize a cross‑agency planning effort, funded staff capacity at the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB) and statutory fixes to agency rules that currently impede development.

Aronoff said the 2022 legislative package (Act 196 of 2022, as referenced in testimony) created three planning grants; two are running and a third needs $2,800,000 to be completed in Burlington, she said. She described a 2023 report by Lisonbee Hart that estimated about 602 units were needed, and said \"We need 600 units of service for the housing.\"

Aronoff described several barriers the planning team should address: a state policy described in testimony as a \"two‑person rule\" that increases cost and complexity for shared living or congregate models; coordinated‑entry systems that prioritize people who become literally homeless (leaving people who enter nursing homes or emergency care without getting to the top of the queue); and a parallel workforce shortage in home‑and‑community‑based care that will limit how much housing can be used even if units are built.

She said Vermont received an \"accelerator\" technical‑assistance grant (no operating funding) that will bring VHCB, the Agency of Human Services and Medicaid together to help develop a plan. Aronoff asked the committee to include statutory planning language and to authorize a staff position to connect families and developers to projects; the committee discussed a placeholder figure of $1,100,000 (described in testimony as a placeholder for the position and associated costs) and an annual position cost discussed elsewhere in the hearing as roughly $100,000. Aronoff and committee members said the exact job description and cost would be worked out with VHCB.

Aronoff also reviewed Vermont's shift away from institutional care: she said the state closed Brandon (a developmental center) in 1993 and that VHCB helped create about 800 units at that time. She told the committee that some shared‑living providers are leaving the program (a figure given in testimony was a roughly 25% decline among providers) and that the state needs new residential models and supports that allow people to live outside institutions or nursing homes.

Committee next steps and context: Committee members asked VHCB and relevant agencies to provide language and testimony; Aronoff offered to coordinate draft plan language with committee staff (she named committee staffers Polly and Kim during exchanges). She also asked the committee to consider statutory changes within the Agency of Human Services that could remove self‑imposed obstacles to development. The testimony did not record any formal motion or vote; legislators asked for follow‑up letters and for VHCB to appear to describe specifics.

Ending: Aronoff concluded by thanking the committee for recent policy changes that placed people with developmental disabilities in VHCB priority categories and for including the population in other housing initiatives. She said the next steps are drafting bill language, getting VHCB input on the permanent staff position, and returning to the committee with specific legislative language and cost estimates.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Economic Development - 2025-02-21-9:00 AM","oneSentenceSummary","Susan Aronoff, a policy analyst for the Vermont Developmental Disabilities Council, told the House Committee on Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs that Vermont needs a coordinated plan to build service‑supported housing for adults with developmental disabilities.","taxTitle","Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs, SENATE, Committees, Legislative , Vermont","taxId",37662,"location","Vermont","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6317542,"Legislators review \"housing infrastructure\" tool to help towns fund water, sewer and roads for new homes",1126,1334000,2460000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2373779-f42954afcfbc484b5d8070e245c326de&start=1334&end=2460","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2373779-f42954afcfbc484b5d8070e245c326de/thumbnail_1334000.jpg","/articles/6317542/Vermont/Legislators-review-housing-infrastructure-tool-to-help-towns-fund-water-sewer-and-roads-for-new-homes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6317542-863a1e5c5e54d430c454750feb0a6b6e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770968065&Signature=QXGc91a3ky3izRk2jpOS3qjr17agJ8OyAZOsQ7RjBxKHC4OdoA8VeThqiDGJVa-~j2eY-F8oQ2WSjO7OqGSD3AIYLTqAWB~RDKgsOJEcxW418Smy0Kz~FRjmMeK9VBkhZyXrJ~FhpbhQiuPSyQJAfZ2NZGrGafJJabEFkvGXV133OXGCanmA1TrrrQ-63lcCvQGsV4OAJA7Rgh85kO~f4KMJAaQZyjtE2DL9tru-1JqrrZmFHSLRnPdTD48vviSqNLUIGyGvkgDmLNO1yYMPFHTzshEMWuUeF2ZTN7Z26U6Mm6ty3iKResNMHkhhLA-fvOBQz6illq849EoyYtny6Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Ruth, executive chair of the coalition Let's Build Homes, presented a \"housing infrastructure initiative\" (HIT) to the House Committee on Economic Development, Housing & General Affairs, saying the tool is designed to cover municipal infrastructure—water, sewer, roads and related costs—that often makes housing projects financially unviable.

\"We have a scarcity of homes in Vermont that is driving not just housing affordability, but rippling through our health care challenges and workforce issues,\" Ruth said, describing a newly formed coalition that she said had grown to about 700 members and organizations.

Why it matters: Ruth and other speakers told the committee that public‑service extensions and utility upgrades can add millions to a project’s cost and that an infrastructure financing tool focused on housing could unlock developments that otherwise ‘‘won’t pencil out.’’ They framed the proposal as a narrowly tailored alternative to broader tax‑increment financing (TIF) that would apply only to predominantly housing projects in geographically eligible areas mapped under Act 250 and depending on \"existing settlement\" definitions in state statute.

How the proposal would work: Ruth said the bill would allow eligible, predominantly housing projects in Tier 1 Act 250 areas, certain exempt areas and within a half‑mile of an \"existing settlement\" to use a form of captured tax increment for up to 20 years (the presentation used the familiar TIF concept of capturing a share of new incremental tax revenue). The plan would also explicitly make brownfield remediation and flood‑resiliency measures eligible costs. In contrast to some TIF structures, the proposal discussed allowing developers to take on the borrowing directly, with repayments coming from the project‑level increment; the presenters said that model exists in roughly 32 states.

Examples and numbers shared: Ruth used Middlebury's Summit Properties project as an example. She said the developers completed an initial \"core village\" of 80 homes with roughly $6,000,000 in infrastructure funding from federal and local sources, but adding a permitted 104 homes would require about $2,500,000 more in infrastructure work. Ruth estimated that the full build‑out would generate about $575,000 annually in new property tax revenue and that capturing a share of that increment could close the $2.5 million gap.

A smaller example (Village Ventures/Denison) was presented to show how modest infrastructure gaps (testimony cited roughly $250,000 for a 26‑unit, $6.5 million development) can stop projects from moving forward.

Oversight, approvals and risks: Presenters emphasized municipal approval and infrastructure agreements will be required; Ruth said state oversight agencies would be involved and that the program could be administered with simplified oversight compared with current TIF administration. Committee members asked whether the Vermont Economic Progress agency (referred to in testimony as \"Vepsi\") or another state entity would provide oversight; Ruth said that agency had been discussed and that program administration details would be worked out. Questions raised by members included density thresholds, geographic boundary complexity for adjacent parcels, brownfield remediation costs and how a state auditor would examine projects.

Funding context: Ruth noted a current proposal to use $9,100,000 in municipal bond bank infrastructure‑sustainability money as an initial funding source and said the HIT would be a tool to leverage those dollars and private investment without directly writing large new general‑fund appropriations.

Next steps: Ruth said draft bill language has been prepared with legislative staff (John Gray was named) and that presenters would provide a written packet and slides to the committee. Several senators signaled interest in refining eligibility (for example, a 50% housing threshold or density minimums) and in aligning the proposal with existing municipal assistance programs. Committee members requested follow‑up documents, agency input on oversight and clarification on audit and risk protections. No formal vote or motion was recorded in the hearing transcript.

Ending: Presenters and legislators agreed the initiative merits further study and drafting this session; language is expected to be circulated to committee members and state partners for technical review.","A coalition presentation outlined a bill to let eligible housing projects capture project‑level tax increment or allow developers to carry debt to finance municipal infrastructure, focusing funds on housing and adding brownfield and flood‑resilience costs as eligible expenses.","actionData","errors"]

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Vermont advocates push for statewide plan to build service‑supported housing for adults with developmental disabilities

Legislators review "housing infrastructure" tool to help towns fund water, sewer and roads for new homes