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by Guy Page
Downstreet Housing & Community Development and the Central Vermont Refugee Action Network (CVRAN) on Wednesday announced the opening of Randall Apartments, a newly renovated building that now provides four permanently affordable homes for New American families.
The project, located in downtown Montpelier, is seen by organizers as a milestone in expanding safe and stable housing opportunities for refugees and asylum seekers in Central Vermont.
Randall Apartments is a collaboration between Downstreet and CVRAN, with financial and technical support from the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board Innovation Funds, the Montpelier Housing Trust Fund, the Vermont Housing Improvement Program, 3E Thermal, and the Vermont Community Loan Fund.
Historically, the VHCB acquires about a third of its total budget from the property transfer tax. 2026 requested state funding for the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board includes $36,964,250 in Property Transfer Tax (PTT) allocation, and $2,800,000 in Capital Bill Clean Water appropriations for total State funding of $39,764,250, according to a VHCB funding request provided to the Legislature.
“By pairing permanent affordability with CVRAN’s deep community support, we’re not just opening doors — we’re creating lasting stability and belonging for new Vermonters,” said Angie Harbin, executive director of Downstreet.
The building, which once housed apartments in poor condition, underwent major life-safety upgrades and design improvements. The result, officials said, is a set of modern, energy-efficient homes that will serve as a foundation for families starting new lives in Montpelier.
Alie Zenie, executive director of CVRAN, said the project reflects a broader effort to strengthen inclusivity in the region. “We are incredibly grateful to partner with Downstreet on projects like this one to increase access to affordable housing for all,” she said. “We are working together to ensure that Washington County is a place where refugees, asylum seekers, and all Vermonters feel a sense of safety and belonging as they set down roots in our community.”
Organizers say the project reaffirms the community’s commitment to ensuring that all Vermonters — regardless of background or circumstance — can find a place to call home.
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Categories: Housing
Yet Vermonters die of exposure every year, or are forced to become refugees themselves and flee their home state due to lack of accessible, affordable housing.
And Governor Scott continues to claim Vermont is not a ‘sanctuary state’.
Again, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
Good point Timothy. I’ve thought and noted that many natives and honest hard working Vermonters are moving out. Many commenters in other articles have stated so. But, it seems that the population of Vermont is status quo the numbers haven’t changed. Mainly due to the individuals moving in, criminals, drug dealers, killers, unlicensed drivers, thieves. The Courts have a revolving door, criminal enter Court and are immediately released to commit more crime. That word gets around and more criminals seek survival in Vermont. Status Quo. Why otherwise would so many criminals seek VT?
Interesting, Vermont is not a ‘Sanctuary State’ according to those in charge of it, knowing what the Communist Dem Left hidden dictionary is, there is nothing in this release about whether any paperwork is needed by the ‘refugees or asylum seekers ‘ for this program
The honor system worked so well for the free motel program that the policy is sure to be invoked to determine who should be eligible for this program…
This is extremely bad news. The housing shortage for American Vermonters is real. These units for foreigners will not pay full property taxes. Insurance probably government funded. Under Biden they made it rediculously easy to say they wanted asylum. It’s crazy for this tiny state to invite welfare recipients who often commit crimes. Vermonters need to pay attention. Dump NPR. Vote Red! Dump Balint, Sanders, Welch, Clark,…!
How is this not housing discrimination?
It is housing discrimination. The Supreme Court has ruled that you can’t discriminationate against white people in the name of anti racism. According to the State wheel of Privilege white people are the most privledged as well as homeowners, a separate category of privledge. Based on these designations, they will never build affordable housing for white Vermonters, only for the LGBTQ/historically marginalized community, which includes refugees and migrants.
So let me ask: why are asylum seekers who have NO ties to Vermont getting permanently affordable housing and NOT American citizens who were born and raised here? Why are you playing shuffle the money and using property tax and clean water act money to build $36 million dollar homes for people who could give two sweet s$$$ts about Vermont? Why? Thankfully we left. No room for 9th generation Vermonters any longer. Glad we are out of the communist state of Vermont.
Now that you’ve left Vermont imagine how happy you could truly be if you stopped needlessly concerning yourself with the business of lasting Vermonters.
This is so wrong- and he say’s we are not a sanctuary state???????
Vermonters keep voting for this madness and seemed surprised when the madness shows up.
Our votes don’t count as every in and by DEMONcrat RUN GovernMENt$ is CORRUPT to the bone!!!! VOTE MAHA as it’s the only Pyramid that doesn’t sacrifice human lives for WARwor$hip$ for PROfit$ and proPhET$ to make BANK from human Misery and Death! WE need to get RID of CAREER LAWYER POLI-TICians$. as the BAR CLUB$ of GOliaTH lia$ and thiEVEs$. are the power BROker$ > MEN IN BLACK ROBes$ of the chURch and STATE$
Act 29 “Office of New Americans” signed by Governor May 21, 2025: https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2026/S.56
The housing costs for young Vermonters is
is criminal .Affordable housing funds given to our state to build do not provide affordable housing to emerging young adults and other contributing member of our communities .Yet we continue to provide for
refugees and illegals .When you have to pay 70-80 percent of your income to pay for housing that’s unattainable .So Vermont has become a mecca for the very rich or the very needy refugees and immigrants .
This will not sustain for very long .Is this the final push from the socialists to take over Vermont , because the average house hold income can sustain it anymore .
The comments about wasted spending on refugees is on point
Libatards would rather have a Vermont citizen go homeless and catering to illegals and refugees who don’t have any interest in Vermont or the USA other then what they can get for free
Case in point
That woman from Massachusetts who complained about $30,000 dollars was not enough !
Tax money thaken from citizens of the state of Vermont has been STOLEN by liberal government
It must end
So much for thinking that Vermont is NOT a sanctuary state.
Socialism is alive and well in Vermont !!!
“Organizers say the project reaffirms the community’s commitment to ensuring that all Vermonters — regardless of background or circumstance — can find a place to call home.”
Then why is this facility not available to “all Vermonters”???
Nearly $40 million pilfered for affordable housing exclusively for people who have not paid one nickle into our beast system, yet are well fed and housed off that system? Nearly $3 million misappropriated out of the Clean Water fund?
“Property transfer taxes changed as a part of Act 181 (H.687), approved by the Vermont Legislature in the summer of 2024. These adjustments come in three parts:
Increasing the tax rate for second homes,
Lowering the tax rates for primary residences,
Adding clean water surcharges. ”
So our water infrastructure is old, failing and full of God knows what – the money appropriated to address the water issues stolen with the blessing of our Legislature? Good to know our labor and taxes is all for up grabs – whatever our money is allocated for can be swindled away for purposes not intended by the lawfare warfare? No honor among thieves – they have no bounds or ethics.
Citizens’ lives matter
When there is targeted public assistance, does this at least mean that there will be some real accountability and documentation as to who qualifies? Who will do the verification of the recipients’ status as “refugees or asylum seekers” and will there be verifiable criteria? The free motel program was an unmitigated disaster due to the qualification being based solely on the honor system of a claim of not having anywhere else to go, and attracted vagrants from afar to come to Vermont and also avail themselves of the rest of our bountiful welfare cornucopia. It seems that this proposal is yet another program meant to help some local white people feel good about themselves, using, of course, public money.
How about housing for Vermonters and those still flood impacted?
Whenever we see the term, affordable housing, don’t be misled, it really means subsidized housing. A modest new home on a lot will cost $400,000 +/-!
We have homeless veterans in Vermont who dont qualify for such a housing benefit, and they mortgaged their very lives and earned it.
We have homeless veterans in Vermont that do qualify for such a housing benefit. Each of these apartments in Rutland were build with $30,000-50,000 of VHIP taxpayer money and the tenants there receive taxpayer funded subsidies to help cover a significant portion of rent and utilities.
These types of programs and the assistance provided are often applauded by the public, as long as the recipients are the preferred type of needy.
https://vtdigger.org/2023/11/22/former-rutland-bike-shop-transformed-into-affordable-housing-for-veterans/