Vermont Legal Aid has landed a grant to continue protecting Vermonters from housing discrimination.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has renewed funding for Vermont Legal Aid’s (VLA) Housing Discrimination Law Project. The $300,000 grant enables Legal Aid to do fair housing investigations and offer legal representation throughout Vermont.
“Our fair housing testing and calls to us indicate that Vermont is struggling to accept its increasing diversity,” said Rachel Batterson, project director of Vermont Legal Aid’s Housing Discrimination Law Project. “Vermont’s low vacancy rate and the right to evict for no reason exacerbate the problem. Housing discrimination hits Vermonters with children, people of color, New Americans and people with disabilities particularly hard."
Under its current three-year fair housing grant, VLA has helped more than 250 people complaining of housing discrimination. VLA has carried out more than 150 fair housing investigations in several Vermont communities. They also commented on nine zoning and planning projects around the state that had potential impacts on groups protected by fair housing laws.
“I was so happy when I won and got to keep my dog. I was almost in tears,” said Jerry Tallman, who was represented by Vermont Legal Aid in getting a reasonable accommodation. “If anyone else is in my shoes, I’m glad there is an answer for them, that they can call and get help like I did.”
Want to Know More?
For more information about fair housing law, housing discrimination and how to ask for help, visit this page of our website.
To see the full press release, see the Vermont Legal Aid website.
