Housing Platform

The NEKO Housing Platform is under construction. It was built over a series of housing committee meetings during the winter of 2023/2024.

We believe everyone has the right to:

  • Be housed
  • To have a relationship to land. To grow food, raise animals, hunt, fish and heal.
  • Build financial equity
  • Safe, secure housing
  • Truly affordable housing
  • Choose to rent or buy affordably
  • Self-determination: choice and variety in housing
  • Housing First: before sobriety, before employment

We envision:

  • Multigenerational housing: Our children are able to afford to stay in the kingdom, our elders are able to age in place and help raise and mentor our young people
  • Multiracial rurality: we know we know the people most impacted by climate catastrophe are poor folks and black and brown folks and we will prepare to peacefully welcome and share 
  • The people migrating here are able to, are well-resourced, what does mutual support and collectivity look like, are already opening space for climate catastrophe
  • Community-appropriate design: housing solutions that fit the infrastructure, look, and feel of our town and village centers.

Proposed action:

  • Continued flood relief (muck and gut, NEKO) and recovery (rebuild, KURRVE)
  • No-interest down payment programs 
  • Construction of new units under $50k
  • Community Trusts
  • A commune for every town
  • Fix the housing we have 
  • Just Cause Eviction
  • Landlord scorecards and Housing Equity scorecards
  • Coop Construction Company
  • Support network for people impacted by housing shortages and eviction

The Construction Justice Cooperative

We’re seeking contractors to be part of a construction crew that works with flood survivors to rebuild their homes and the homes of neighbors. We want to prioritize hiring folks who were impacted by the floods this summer.

Contact [email protected] if you’re an interested builder or funder.

This work is inspired by Just Construction and their work in Southern Vermont.

Tenant’s Rights Working Group

These facts and more can be found on the National Low Income Housing Coalition website.

Understanding your rights as a tenant can be challenging. We are currently working on a series of one-page flyers that will provide helpful information to renters that they may use when navigating the complexities of renting.

We are interested in finding ways to hold landlords accountable to their responsibilities to keep housing in the Northeast Kingdom safe, secure, and functional. Are you interested in exploring this conversation and brainstorming ways to make housing more equitable where we live?