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Goal: The City's neediest residents can successfully confront the various
obstacles and problems they face in the housing market.
Five-Year Focus:
- Enact a No Cause Eviction Control Measure to lengthen the notice period
required for no-cause evictions for tenants in good standing, with graduated
notthe charging of a
pet deposit.
- Require all landlords to distribute a "housing disclosure form"
that outlines the rights and responsibilities of both landlords and
tenants.
- Have the City Code Enforcement Office utilize rental registration fees
solely for the purposes stated in the Minimum Housing Ordinance, target its
inspection program to units not inspected by housing authorities and other
public third parties, and issue Interim Certificates/Certificates of
Compliance for posting in apartment buildings.
- Have the Code Enforcement Office conduct periodic inspections at the
frequency required in the minimum housing ordinance.
- Cease enforcing the Life Safety Code as part of minimum housing
inspections on existing apartments unless and until the City Council
conducts an analysis on the impact of such enforcement on housing
affordability and approves such a policy change.
- Have the Code Enforcement Office routinely send tenants notices of
violations found during either periodic or complaint-based
inspections.
- Improve public access to inspection records by providing certification of
such records to citizens to facilitate the use of the records as evidence in
court and making all minimum housing inspection compliance orders and
Interim Certificates/Certificates of Compliance available online.
- Urge the legislature to clarify that landlords can only recoup third party
charges commensurate with the cost of obtaining credit reports, and other
charges incurred with third parties that are reasonably related to
qualifying the applicant for the rental of a unit.
- Encourage the State to explore using untapped TANF reserve funds, without
reducing benefit levels, to provide housing subsidies to families that are
(or recently were) on welfare.
- Encourage the State to create a demonstration project to encourage the
development of more transitional housing for formerly homeless families and
affordable assisted living for low-income seniors.
- Encourage the Vermont Agency of Human Services to redirect resources to
support housing retention/eviction prevention programs that are more
cost-effective than emergency housing.
- Urge the Vermont Congressional Delegation to seek reforms to the Section 8
Program, including creation of a "Voucher Success Program,"
designed to enhance the usefulness of vouchers in tight rental markets like
Burlington's.
- Urge the federal government to dramatically increase funding levels for
the McKinney Homeless Assistance Program and Section 8 Vouchers.
- Encourage that Federal funds be made available to assist public and
nonprofit organizations and private sector housing providers to provide
supportive services that help tenants retain their housing.
- Provide grants and loans to homeowners and tenants for accessibility
modification projects.
- Develop new housing for the frail elderly.
- Support the facilities and services which make up the Continuum of Care
for homeless and precariously housed residents of Burlington.
- Expand supportive services for SRO housing.
- Support vocational services, training, and jobs for homeless men and
women.
- Explore other ways to address the homeless population with substance abuse
issues, who currently sleep outside year round.
- Encourage statewide funding for
eviction prevention and tenant success counseling, as well as additional
funding for fair housing outreach and education.
- Encourage comparable and
equitable property tax relief for renters who pay property taxes through
their rent and who make less than $75,000 per year.
- Support current
Shelter Plus Housing projects.
- Expand supportive services for
elderly homeowners and renters to encourage "aging in place."
- Ensure that there is no net loss of assisted housing in the City.
- Preserve the following BHA properties as public housing: 10 N. Champlain,
230 St. Paul, Franklin Square, Riverside Apartments and Hillside Terrace.
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Preserve existing Single Room Occupancy (SRO) buildings, nonprofit shared
elder housing and residential care homes.
- Encourage and support the
development of innovations and collaborations between programs and agencies
to better serve homeless and low-income populations.
- Support the
Burlington Housing Authority's partnership with the Committee on Temporary
Shelter and other affordable housing providers to provide a diversity of
affordable housing options for lower-income tenants.
- Support the ongoing
efforts of the Rental Opportunity Center to provide housing search
assistance to Section 8 voucher holders.
- Encourage the Burlington Housing
Authority to fully utilize its ability to "project base" Section 8
vouchers in support of new perpetually affordable housing.
Page last updated May 13, 2003
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