2026 Fair Housing Month has ended but the movement continues. April was filled with community, joy, advocacy, and organizing to celebrate fair housing wins and push fair housing initiatives.

The 2026 Fair Housing Month theme was Fair Housing: No Matter What! to emphasize the endurance of state and federal fair housing laws and to reinforce our duty to take meaningful actions to overcome the legacy of segregation, unequal treatment, and historic lack of access to opportunity in housing.

Members of our Vermont communities are affected by illegal housing discrimination every day. Many instances go unreported and people breaching fair housing laws are often not held accountable. Throughout the month, we celebrated the progress we have made towards addressing historical discrimination while continuing to grieve setbacks and educate our communities about the importance of accessible, equitable, and perpetually affordable housing.

Creative Community Engagement

Throughout Fair Housing Month, we gathered for community art workshops, Fair Housing & Tenant Skills “Know Your Rights” sessions, fair housing trainings for housing providers, a housing book discussion, and community engagement events to educate the general public, housing providers, municipal officials, and service providers about fair housing. We also displayed a 2026 Fair Housing Month Art exhibit at Burlington City Hall titled: “We’re Stronger Together: Celebrating Home & Community” with community collages created by Wharf Lane and Decker Towers residents, along with other community members in partnership with Happy Fantastic Designs and Burlington City Arts and more than 800 HeART & Home art kits were distributed through Vermont libraries and housing sites.

Through our education and outreach, people learn about their rights and obligations under fair housing laws to prevent illegal housing discrimination, remediate discriminatory acts, and help different groups establish best practices to carry out fair housing laws and exercise their rights and responsibilities. We expanded these efforts all month long during Fair Housing Month.

At the Statehouse

On April 1^st, the Vermont Human Rights Commission and the Fair Housing Project organized Fair Housing Awareness Day at the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier. We provided fair housing resources and information about illegal housing discrimination, gave testimony about the importance of fair housing practices and enforcement, and engaged in discussions about how we see an increase in illegal housing discrimination as Vermonters navigate the current tight and expensive housing market. A Revolutionary Press was on site making bookmarks with hand-set type and on a hand-operated letterpress for legislators, statehouse staff, and visitors. Kahlia Livingston, Fair Housing Project Education & Outreach Coordinator and Jess Hyman Associate Director of CVOEO’s Housing Advocacy Programs delivered testimony alongside Big Hartman, Executive Director of the Vermont Human Rights Commission in a joint hearing of the House Committee on General and Housing and Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs. Vermont Governor Phil Scott issued a statewide proclamation in support of the implementation of fair housing laws and their enforcement.

 Stories of Home

On April 3^rd, we hosted “Stories of Home” as the annual kickoff event to celebrate Fair Housing Month. This community-centered event featured local storytellers shared personal and inspiring narratives about what home means to them and the event was beautifully emceed by Ferene Paris, Founder of All Heart Inspirations. Ferene creates heart-centered spaces through courageous truth-telling, live storytelling, and community engagement rooted in culture, connection, and love. CCTV covered this event and the storytelling programming can be viewed here. We are grateful for our Fair Housing Month Sponsors and partners, with special thanks to the Land Access & Opportunity Board, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, All Heart Inspirations, Zero Gravity, Prohibition Pig, Vermont Wine Merchants, Stefano’s Rustic North Country Italian, and Seven Days for making this event possible.

 Fair Housing Fridays

The Fair Housing Friday Webinar Series resumed this year with three new webinars featuring interviews with housing experts around the state hosted by Kahlia Livingston. The series included topics on environmental justice and how it promotes fair housing, fair housing litigation, and ethical real-estate practices. We discussed how state laws intersect with fair housing, how fair housing laws are enforced, and how housing service providers can best support Vermonters’ housing needs by approaching their work through a fair housing lens. All interviews are available for viewing here and the descriptions are available below:

• “Environmental Justice and the Future of Housing Development” – Watch this interview with Grace Vinson from the Community Development Program (VCDP). In this conversation we discuss how the provisions of the Environmental Justice Act are being incorporated into state decision-making and interagency collaboration. Click Here to Watch!
• “Justice in Practice – A Conversation About Fair Housing Litigation” – Watch this interview for a thoughtful conversation with Attorney Big Hartman, Executive Director of the Vermont Human Rights Commission who discusses what happens when housing discrimination cases land in court. We explored the realities of litigating fair housing complaints- how cases develop, what the process looks like, and what outcomes mean for the people involved. Additionally, we examined how enforcement, accountability, and resolution contribute to civil rights in housing. Viewers will gain insight into legal tools that support fair housing protections and the broader impact these cases can have on communities, policy, and case law. Click Here to Watch!
• “Beyond the Sale – Ethical Real Estate and the Power of Fair Housing” – Watch this interview to see a candid conversation with Jess Bridge, a real estate professional who prioritizes ethics, transparency, and fairness in every transaction. In this webinar, we explored how realtors can actively support fair housing laws while building trust with clients and communities. Through real-world examples and practical insights, our guest shared how ethical practices shape their day-to-day work with buyers and sellers. Whether you’re a housing advocate, service provider, or simply interested in fair housing practices, this discussion will highlight what responsible property professionals can do to promote fairness in the market. Click Here to Watch!

Housing Action Summit

 We wrapped up Fair Housing Month with additional events in collaboration with essential key partners. On April 25^th, CVOEO’s Fair Housing Project held “From Housing Justice to Civic Power: A Vermont Action Summit” in partnership with National Low Income Housing Coalition’s Our Homes Our Votes Campaign. This dynamic civic engagement event included a panel discussion with Decker Towers Tenant Leader David Foss, Rev. Mark Hughes of the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance, Lindsay St. Amour of Disability Rights Vermont, State Rep. Saudia LaMont, and Alex Karambelas of ACLU-VT moderated by Tia Turner of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Panelists discussed the intersection of housing justice and civic engagement, explored current threats to voting access, lived experiences in Vermont communities, and opportunities to build civic power rooted in housing justice. Following the panel discussion, participants attended interactive action labs on Policy Rapid Response, Tenant Power & Storytelling, Building Local Civic Engagement, and Housing Justice & Voter Access. Each group examined tools for organizing, advocating, and building power in communities and developed action plans for next steps in their communities and individual lives. The summit concluded with remarks by Sen. Tanya Vyhovsky, and a voter registration drive supported by the Vermont League of Women Voters, Burlington Board of Voter Registration, and the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office. The recording of the event can be viewed here.

On April 30^th, Attorney Rachel Batterson from Vermont Legal Aid’s Housing Discrimination Law Project and Kahlia Livingston from CVOEO, partnered with Northwest Vermont Realtor Association (NVRA) to hold an interactive activity to examine the difficulties of housing development when exclusionary zoning practices and NIMBYism hinder projects from moving forward.

As this year’s fair housing month adjourns, we extend thanks to our partners, sponsors, webinar guests, residents of Decker Towers and Wharf Lane, and all facilitators of fair housing month events and the participants who attended. We greatly appreciate everyone who requested Art Kits that include the HeART & Home prompts, and those of you who reached out to share your completed art pieces, and housing events to be included on the fairhousingmonthvt.org website. April was filled with fair housing-centered community-building, storytelling, education, policy advocacy, art-making, and fulfilling activities with residents all throughout the state. We hope that these events have increased awareness and passion to achieve housing justice and we’re looking forward to upcoming collaboration and fair housing efforts for the rest of the year. Stay updated with Fair Housing news and events by following our thriving communities social media pages on Facebook, and Instagram (@thrivingcommunitiesvt). Connect with us on social media or send us an email at fhp@cvoeo.org.

BIG THANKS to our Partners and Sponsors

CVOEO coordinates April Fair Housing Month activities in collaboration with a statewide network of housing, community, and arts partners, including Vermont Human Rights Commission, Vermont Humanities, Housing & Homelessness Alliance of Vermont, Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development, All Heart Inspirations, Happy Fantastic Designs, Vermont Racial Justice Alliance, Disability Rights Vermont, Rights & Democracy, National Low Income Housing  Coalition (NLIHC), Vermont Department of Libraries, Vermont Legal Aid, ACLU of Vermont, Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, Fletcher Free Library, Burlington City Arts, A Revolutionary Press, Windham and Windsor Housing Trust, and Northwest Vermont REALTOR® Association.

2026 activities were made possible through the generous sponsorship of Champlain Housing Trust, Northwest Vermont REALTOR Association, Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission, Land Access & Opportunity Board, Vermont State Housing Authority, Burlington Office of Racial Equity, Inclusion & Belonging, Let’s Build Homes, Redstone, Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, Cathedral Square, Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, Evernorth, Vermont Housing Finance Agency, Main Street Landing, Vermont Wine Merchants, Prohibition Pig, and Zero Gravity with media sponsorship from Seven Days.