GREENBSORO – I generally hesitate to chime in on heated conversations, but for several reasons, it is incredibly important that I make my voice heard in the one surrounding town hall and affordable housing in Greensboro.
I have lived in Greensboro for roughly two years, and I was born and raised in Vermont. My fiancé and I are among our town’s younger demographic. My mother is homeless, and for a variety of personal reasons I am unable to house her, but I have been deeply involved in her experience of homelessness for six years now. I also happen to be the programs and volunteers coordinator at Lamoille Community House, a shelter in Hyde Park. I offer this context to emphasize that this is both a deeply personal and professional issue for me.
I have seen many arguments against the Rural Edge project, some more nuanced than others, but all are lacking. None have centered a discussion of what we can do to provide for the unhoused members of Vermont communities. We are a town that provides so many jobs and yet very little housing, and even less affordable housing.
We do, however, have an abundance of lake homes. I understand that second home owners in Greensboro have felt that their voices are not valued in this discussion. Frankly, folks, your voices are not the ones that need to be centered. If you own a second home, you are, in fact, part of the problem. I don’t say this to shame or attack anyone. I say this because we all need to be aware of our privilege as we form better, more loving communities, and owning a second home in a state with a massive housing shortage and an ever-growing population of unhoused individuals is a huge privilege. If you own a second home in Greensboro, your priority right now should be to listen.
Our town has an opportunity to be radically hospitable. We have resources and space, and we have a plan. If you have an alternative plan, by all means, offer it up. But if your protests are centered around a general dislike of change, or are attempting to center other issues that you feel ought to be prioritized over this project, you are, I fear, missing the point.
The point is this: we have a building that needs restoration and enhanced purpose. We have a town with insufficient housing. We have a community that repeatedly expresses its desire to grow, to welcome in families and younger demographics, and to be a beacon of Vermont’s progressive values. We have Rural Edge, a well-funded and highly thorough resource with a history of successes, willing to work out a plan that addresses things that others have brought up (water systems, septic, etc.). And more than anything, we have a duty to our fellow humans to prioritize their lives and their dignity over our fear of change.
Housing is a crisis. Homelessness is a crisis. Whether or not Greensboro remains a space where tourists and wealthy white folks can show off their privilege, or whether some people might want to do something different with town hall simply is not important. Folks say that the community hasn’t been involved enough in this issue: so involve yourselves by learning and listening. Be a better community, a more loving and welcoming community, and a community that prioritizes positive action.
