Land Access and Opportunity Board

The Land Access and Opportunity Board ("the Board") was created under Section 22 of Act 182 of 2022 to engage with Vermont organizations working on housing equity and land access "to recommend new opportunities and improve access to woodlands, farmland, and land and home ownership for Vermonters from historically marginalized or disadvantaged communities who continue to face barriers to land and home ownership." 

By January 15, 2023, the Land Access and Opportunity Board is directed to deliver a “Sunrise Report” to the Vermont General Assembly addressing legal, constitutional, and governance questions relevant to the functions of the Board, including grant making and how to fund, organize, and structure the Board as a permanent instrumentality of the State of Vermont. Initial funding for the Board is limited to meetings in SFY2023 for the purpose of delivering the Sunrise Report and any subsequent engagement with the General Assembly and other stakeholders. 

Under the Act, the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board ("VHCB") is directed to provide administrative and fiscal support to the Land Access and Opportunity Board. 

Resources

Land Access and Opportunity Board Initial Report to General Assembly 2/15/2023
Land Access and Opportunity Board Terms of Reference, amended 1/17/2023
Land Access and Opportunity Board - Priority Objectives (working draft) 11/21/2022
New Programs Aim to Change Vermont’s Dismal BIPOC Homeownership Rates, Seven Days, 11/30/2022, by Courtney Lamdin

Upcoming Meetings:

Monday, April 3, 2023 from 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm

Join upcoming meetings at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7762892697

Meeting ID: 776 289 2697
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Meeting Agendas and Minutes

July 25, 2022 - Agenda - Minutes  

August 8, 2022 -  Agenda - Minutes - Recording

August 22, 2022 -  Agenda - Minutes

September 8, 2022 -  Agenda - Minutes

September 19, 2022 -  Agenda - Minutes

October 3, 2022 -  Agenda - Minutes

October 17, 2022 -  Agenda - Minutes

November 7, 2022 -  Agenda - Minutes - Recording

November 21, 2022 - Agenda - Minutes - Recording

December 5, 2022 - Agenda - Minutes - Recording

December 19, 2022 - Agenda - Minutes - Recording

January 9, 2023 - Agenda - Recording - Minutes

January 23, 2023 - Agenda - Minutes

February 6, 2023 - Agenda - Minutes

February 27, 2023 - Agenda - Minutes

March 6, 2023 - Agenda - Minutes

March 20, 5:30-7:00 p.m. - Agenda - Minutes

Board Members:
Xusana Davis, State Office of Racial Equity
Rich Holschuh (alternate); Jon Bosley (alternate), Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs 
Naomi Moody; Amber Arnold (alternate), Vermont branches of the NAACP    
Pastor Arnold Thomas, Pastor Mark Hughes, Vermont Racial Justice Alliance    
Jess Laporte, Vermont Every Town Project; Community Resilience Organizations  
Brian Cina; Ashley Devereaux (Alternate); National Association of Social Workers, Vermont
Raheemah Madany, Pride Center of Vermont    
Pacifique Nsengiyumva, U.S. Committee for Refugees &  Immigrants,Vermont   
Kirsten Murphy, Vermont Developmental Disabilities Council    
Karim Champman (interim), Vermont Psychiatric Survivors    
Samantha Langevin, Liv Peña (alternate), Vermont RELEAF Collective