Vermont libraries are in the unique position to facilitate community-level change on issues of social, racial, and economic justice and to help people become more involved in local decision-making on all issues, including housing. Libraries are also a point of access for information and resource sharing. Connecting people experiencing housing challenges to related local, statewide, and national resources is a powerful contribution libraries can make to their communities.
Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO)'s Housing Advocacy Programs (HAP) provide education, support, advocacy, technical assistance, and referrals for people and organizations throughout Vermont. CVOEO's Fair Housing Project leads Fair Housing Month efforts in Vermont and works with libraries, housing providers, community organizations, and arts organizations across Vermont to honor the 1968 passage of the Fair Housing Act with education and outreach.
Fair Housing Month Resources
Each April the Department partners with CVOEO's Fair Housing Project to mark Fair Housing Month with a series of public education and art events to raise awareness about the importance of equal access to housing, free from discrimination, and the positive role that inclusive, affordable housing plays in thriving communities.
Vermont libraries, housing sites, and community groups to join the celebration by hosting Fair Housing events and discussions, sharing information about the statewide resources and online events, and distributing art kits for the all-ages HeART & Home Community Art Project.
Art Kits
CVOEO will once again be distributing Art Kits for Fair Housing Month. Kits are available in sets of 10 with watercolor paints and paper, brushes, and art prompts). The kits will be sent out by the third week in March. You may want to coordinate requesting art kits with other community organizations who are also requesting them. NEW: this year’s Kits include special prompts on community and belonging as part of a new partnership with Vermont Humanities and its Vermont Reads book Gather by Kenneth M. Cadow. The preliminary deadline for requesting art kits is Friday, February 21, 2025.
Libraries and participants are encouraged to share photos of their work with the Fair Housing Project for inclusion in the online Community Art Gallery at www.fairhousingmonthvt.org! Email photos to fhp@cvoeo.org or post on social media with #FairHousingMonthVT and tag @ThrivingCommunitiesVT on Facebook and Instagram. Libraries have hosted successful receptions celebrating the work of local participants and bringing more attention fair housing!
Add Your Library Event to the 2025 Fair Housing Month Event Calendar
Add your library's Fair Housing Month event to the statewide calendar: email fhp@cvoeo.org with the event details, website and social media links, and graphics.
Host a Fair Housing Speaker, Workshop, or Panel Discussion
Explore ways to get involved. Contact the Fair Housing Project team for housing information, resources, and Fair Housing Month event planning support. They can:
- Connect you with local housing and support resources
- Co-facilitate community discussions about housing
- Coordinate and support local housing committees
- Provide workshops on fair housing rights and responsibilities, tenant skills, and planning for affordable housing
- Brainstorm ways to add fair housing-related components to your regular activities
fhp@cvoeo.org, 802-660-3456 x 106, www.cvoeo.org/fhp, www.fairhousingmonthvt.org
Programming & Promotional Ideas
Share your programs and events on social media using #FairHousingMonthVT
- Facebook: @ThrivingCommunitiesVT
- Twitter: @VTFairHousing
- Instagram: @ThrivingCommunitiesVT
You can submit events for the Fair Housing Month calendar by emailing fhp@cvoeo.org with the event details, website and social media links, and graphics.
You may also share your event on the Vermont Library Association (VLA) calendar by emailing Barbara Ball with an event link.
Fair Housing Fridays Webinars
Fair Housing Fridays is a series of informational, interactive video sessions on Fair Housing issues hosted by the Fair Housing Project of CVOEO. Consider hosting a watch party and discussion at your library! And promote on library newsletters, social media, Front Porch Forum, etc.
Host a book or movie club
Check out titles available as book sets through CLOVER at the Vermont Department of Libraries.
- Story Boat by Kyo Maclear (Individual copies available through CLOVER)
VTLIB Discussion Guide (PDF) - Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond (ABLE Talking Book #DB83870)
VTLIB Discussion Guide (PDF)
Publisher's reading group guides - Race for Profit – How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor (ABLE Talking Book #DB97566)
Discussion guide (PDF)
The Vermont Library Association has curated a list of book and movie titles that can also be used to host a book or movie club. To help build empathy for our homeless neighbors, Jenny Ryan and the team at Saskatoon Public Library (Saskatchewan, Canada) built a book list on homelessness titled Reading for Empathy.
Resources on facilitating challenging discussions:
- University of Michigan – Offers great tips on setting ground rules, creating a framework for the discussion, actively facilitating, and more.
- Difficult Dialogues National Resource Center's Strategies for Current Challenges in Dialogue Facilitation (PDF) – Provides strategies to manage challenging aspects of facilitating difficult conversations.
Host a Fair Housing StoryWalk® or Story Time for Kids
You can create your own Fair Housing-related StoryWalk®. We recommend the book Story Boat by Kyo Maclear. View the Story Boat StoryWalk® discussion questions PDF.
Another available choice is A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams. You can also choose from one of the other kids' books on VLA's reading list.
VTLIB has four Story Boat Storywalks® and four A Chair for My Mother Storywalks® to loan to libraries for Fair Housing Month. Please email jonathan.l.clark@vermont.gov if you are interested in having a StoryWalk® display at your library. Storywalks® will be sent out the third week of March. Explore the Department's Storywalk collection.
Consider hosting a story time using one of these titles or a title recommended by VLA.
The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier Vermont. Storywalk® is a registered service mark owned by the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.
Fair Housing data resources:
- Fair Housing Info Sheet
- Vermont Housing Data (community profiles and town/county/state data on population, household, income, employment, home ownership, rental housing, housing needs, and more)
- Vermont 2020-2025 Housing Needs Assessment (includes fact sheets on demographics, housing stock, race, homelessness, and more)
These ideas and resources are presented by the Vermont Department of Libraries, the Vermont Library Association, and the Fair Housing Project of CVOEO as part of an education and outreach partnership. This program is supported by a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Housing Initiatives Program grant and supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency, through the Library Service and Technology Act as administered by the Vermont Department of Libraries.