In the spring of 2014, the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition (now the Housing & Homelessness Alliance of Vermont) embarked on a story-gathering project to raise public awareness about the importance of affordable housing in Vermont. This effort expanded into a multi-media initiative to share personal narratives and portraits of residents and housing advocates statewide. The project is now archived with the Vermont Folklife Center.
What is Home?
From St. Johnsbury to Windsor, Voices of Home connected with affordable housing residents and set-up one-on-one interviews. In these conversations, residents were asked about the meaning of “home,” and the importance of strong communities. Voices of Home interviewed neighbors that decided to organize to form their own housing cooperatives, people who are formerly homeless, and individuals with severe physical disabilities. These are the stories of our neighbors, everyday people living in Vermont.
Supported by AmeriCorps VISTA members, and collaborators from around the state, the narratives that were gathered shed an important light on the importance of housing as a basic right, especially in a time of rising costs and low availability for safe, accessible, and affordable housing. We hope that these stories will resonate with our neighbors and legislators who provide key funding for housing assistance programs.
Learn more and view the online exhibit on the Vermont Folklife Center website.
Voices of Home is made possible by its sponsors and donors.
