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Like other big issues facing Vermont, the shortage of housing in the Green Mountain State was understood to be a problem before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. In 2019, the state floated a $37 million bond to address that problem.
But the pandemic has worsened the stateâs housing shortage, as prices rise, preventing renters from becoming home buyers and apartment-hunters from finding housing. Itâs affecting employers who must now contend with whether new workers can relocate â from across the state, or across the country.
âWeâre definitely hearing from employers really across the state,â Housing Commissioner Josh Hanford said.
Companies need workers Where are the houses where they can live?
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Landlords get tools in housing crisis
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BRATTLEBORO â Itâs no secret that finding staff now is difficult.
âIâm hearing that across the board from lots of people â restaurants, you know, small factories,â said Greg Lesch, interim director of Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce, âskilled and not skilled.â
Lesch said it seems to be a statewide and nationwide problem.
âWe hear from employers on a daily basis about the need to hire,â said Adam Grinold, executive director of the Brattleboro Development Credit Corp.
Grinold said the sentiment expressed to him is, âIt used to be hard to find people. Now, itâs next to impossible.â
The Covered Bridge Inn on Putney Road in Brattleboro closed after all the guests checked out of their rooms on Memorial Day due to a shortage of staff. Needing 10 employees to run the property, the inn was down to three.