Each April we partner with the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO) to celebrate 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.
Raising awareness about issues of fair housing continues to be important, as we navigate economic and health disparities that have destabilized our country, state, and communities. Meanwhile, there is a tremendous energy for civic engagement, and people are finding ways to make positive change at the local level and to support their neighbors. Safe, affordable homes are the foundation for opportunity, and a strong correlation exists between health disparities and housing opportunity, especially for people of color and others in protected classes. Thousands of Vermonters were already in a precarious housing situation before COVID – and tens of thousands more struggle to find affordable and accessible homes.
Fair Housing Continuing Education Opportunities & Resources for Library Staff
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.
CVOEO will once again be distributing Art Kits for Fair Housing Month. Request a kit here. 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.
Programming & Promotional Ideas for Fair Housing Month and Beyond
Share on social media using #FairHousingMonthVT
- Facebook: @ThrivingCommunitiesVT
- Twitter: @VTFairHousing
- Instagram: @ThrivingCommunitiesVT
You can submit events for the Fair Housing Month calendar here or email them to fhp@cvoeo.org.
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. 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.
Consider hosting a story time using one of these titles or a title recommended by VLA.
Join the Fair Housing Month Community Art Project - FREE Art Kits for your library
- Request Fair Housing Month Art Kits (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.
- We ask participants to share photos of their work with the Fair Housing Project for inclusion in the online Community Art Gallery at www.fairhousingmonthvt.org and to be entered in drawings for prizes of books, art supplies, and other fun items! (Email photos to fhp@cvoeo.org or post on social media with #FairHousingMonthVT and tag @ThrivingCommunitiesVT on Facebook and Instagram or @VTFairHousing on Twitter).
- Host a reception at your library to celebrate the work of local participants and bring more attention fair housing!
Host a Fair Housing speaker, workshop, or panel discussion
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
Fair Housing data resources for context:
- Fair Housing Info Sheet
- Vermont Housing Data (community profiles and town/county/state data on population, household, income, employment, homeownership, 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.