Vermont Independent Media, publisher of The Commons, invites the public to an online conversation on housing with U.S. Rep. Becca Balint on Monday, March 18, at 7 p.m.
Balint will be interviewed by award-winning Commons reporter Joyce Marcel, kicking off a revived year-long series of Voices Live interviews, in-person events, and Special Focus sections in the pages of the newspaper.
The discussion with Balint will focus on roadblocks and new opportunities to address Windham County's housing needs at the federal level and what's being done currently to make a difference.
Balint has introduced sweeping new housing legislation, the Community Housing Act, a plan that proposes to invest over $500 billion via federal programs that fund construction of affordable and deeply affordable housing.
The bill includes a suite of creative policy solutions to address root causes of the housing crisis and alleviate long-term affordability challenges.
The public and housing representatives are all invited to attend via Zoom. The program will be broadcast on Brattleboro Community Television (BCTV) and livestreamed on the respective Facebook pages of both BCTV and The Commons.
To attend, email a request to Office Manager Amanda Harwood at [email protected].
The housing discussion this spring is the first in a series of Voices Live online discussions and in-person events. In addition to housing, the spring series will also focus on homelessness and opioid-use disorder (OUD).
Voices Live will return in the fall with three more forums and another live event. The fall series will focus on civics and democracy and what Vermonters will need to know to make informed voting decisions locally and nationally.
Additionally, The Commons will publish three Special Focus sections this year focusing on critical issues facing Brattleboro and the surrounding communities in southeastern Vermont.
The goal of the Voices Live project is to assist area residents, particularly young people, with practical, engaging news that connects local issues to national and world events, following VIM's belief that a vibrant democracy requires an informed, empowered, and outspoken citizenry.
The Voices Live series was originally launched in 2012 by Editor-in-Chief Jeff Potter to complement the newspaper's award-winning opinions and commentary section.
This News item was submitted to The Commons.