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SPRING 2012 
 

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 

Greetings to our VIA leaders and friends!  

 

I cannot remember a time in my five-year tenure at VIA when we have been doing more varied, or stronger, issue work!   

 

VIA's current issue work is focusing on:
  • Financial sector reform 
  • Transforming the Burlington and Winooski high schools 
  • Addressing and preventing homelessness in Burlington
  • Increasing the supply of affordable housing  
  • Building stronger relationships with state leaders around state budget and taxation issues
Read on for updates on how VIA is addressing the root causes of poverty in our communities by creating systemic change.

 

Blessings to all,

Debbie Ingram

Executive Director 

 

In Brief...

 

Ohavi Zedek sponsored an action called "Let's Invest in the

Rabbi Joshua Chasan and VIA leader Lois Whitmore at Action.
'Common Wealth' of Vermont" in January 2012 to press for more long-term, innovative thinking from our legislators and the Shumlin administration with regard to the state budget. Administration Secretary Jeb Spaulding, state senators Tim Ashe, Sally Fox, and Anthony Pollina, and state representative Martha Heath were in attendance.
     
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About 50 people attended a VIA workshop in December on "How to Organize to Correct the Injustice of Economic Dis­parity in our Society," with a presentation by a trainer from Boston's United for a Fair Economy and planning for next steps by VIA staff. Out of this event, an organizing committee has been formed to work on responsible banking and other financial sector reform in Vermont.

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Panelist

Panelists and moderator, state Senator Ann Cummings, at the Montpelier forum. 

The Health Care working group at VIA hosted 4 forums
- in Burlington, Charlotte, Montpelier, and Waitsfield -- to explain the state's plans for a single payer system and provide q & a with state officials, who included BISHCA director Steve Kimbell and Health Care Commissioner Mark Larson. Representatives from the business community, physicians, and VIA also served on the panels.
 
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 Executive Director Debbie Ingram has recently made presentations about the impact community organizing, specifically VIA's work, can have on economic disparity for the Elder Education Enrichment program and at the Associates meeting of the Sisters of Mercy.    

 

Seeking Policies to Alleviate Homelessness 

by Fran Carlson

 

Most recently, St. Paul's LOC (Local Organizing Committee) has been researching the problems of homelessness and transitional housing in the Burlington area. So far we have discovered, not surprisingly, that this complex issue is caused by a number of interrelated problems. We have met with six officials from a variety of organizations that deal with homelessness and housing for lower-income residents. One of the difficulties is that support agencies tend to focus on short-term crisis management with low-income persons, rather than ... Read more   

Affordable Housing Work Continues

by Beth Dusablon

 

Over the past few months the combined Local Organizing Committee of Sisters of Mercy and College Street Congregational Church has been very busy with our ongoing affordable housing campaign.

 

As VIA has done every year for the past several years, we held a research meeting with Brian Pine, the Housing Director of Burlington's Community Economic Development Office (CEDO). He told us about the work that CEDO is doing to rehab existing affordable housing units as well as their intent to buy "expiring use" buildings that are at the end of their ... Read more           

VIA Leader Profile-Rachel Kauppila

 

 My name is Rachel Kauppila, I'm 25 and I'm excited to be a new member of the VIA Local Organizing Committee at St. Paul's Cathedral inRachel Burlington! I first became involved when I attended a VIA-sponsored presentation in the fall entitled "How to Organize to Correct the Injustice of Economic Dis­parity in our Society." I came away from the event informed, impassioned, and motivated to get involved with VIA to work on issues of economic injustice... Read more 

   
IN THIS ISSUE
In Brief...
Seeking Policies to Alleviate Homelessness
Affordable Housing Work Continues
VIA Leader Profile-Rachel Kauppila
Upcoming Events
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Upcoming Events...

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Spring Federated Meeting 

 

When:
Thursday, May 24
6:00 to 8:30 pm
Where:
St. Paul's Cathedral
2 Cherry St, Burlington, VT
What:
Dinner, issue updates, and a presentation by Charlie Baker, ED of the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, on the ECOS project
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Action to Address Homelessness in Chittenden County

 

When:  

Wednesday, May 30
7:00 to 8:30pm
Where:
St. Paul's Cathedral
2 Cherry St, Burlington, VT.
What:
Public Action to ask for changes in policy and allocation of resources to decrease homelessness and improve coordination of support services. Special guests: Secretary Doug Racine of Human Services (invited), Mayor Miro Weinberger (confirmed).
 
VIA Congregations

Burlington

Central Vermont