Student Partnerships

The Program

Each year, students from Middlebury College are matched with Addison Housing Works to help research pressing regional issues related to housing and affordability. This page features different facets of student projects over the years. We are proud of them and the important work they have accomplished!

Addison County Workforce Housing Need Assessment Report
Summer 2021

Introduction
In Summer 2021, Addison Housing Works, formerly known as Addison County Community Trust, partnered with the MiddWorks Progam at Middlebury College to study the workforce housing crisis in Addison County. Students Lily Jones, Mihir Singh, and Castin Stone surveyed workers from approximately three dozen Addison County businesses to better understand the region’s workforce housing needs. The report found that hundreds of affordable new homes are needed to meet the demand from employees and prospective employees and support the growth of the region's economy.

Read the press release here: https://www.addisonhousingworks.org/blog/hundreds-of-affordable-homes-needed-to-meet-demand-for-workforce-housing

Childcare, ADUs, and Empowering Mobile Home Replacements
Summer 2022

Introduction
Throughout the summer, this student investigated the barriers to building affordable childcare and researched elements of a business model that could be used to expand or open new centers in Addison County. To this end, they delivered a business plan for a theoretical childcare center that could be used to open new centers and expand childcare access in Addison County. The student also researched successful Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) programs, including those in Brattleboro and the Mad River Valley, and compared various program design elements to create a menu of options for starting a similar program in Addison County. Finally, this project sought to develop and implement an outreach and engagement plan to identify candidates in ACCT parks for mobile home replacements and help residents through the process.

Creating a Housing Resource Directory
Summer 2023

Introduction
Affordable housing production, as well as providing resources and services to tenants and buyers of such housing, requires significant resources from the federal government, state government, and private donors. The state of Vermont has a great need for increasing the supply of affordable housing; the resources available have complex criteria for their use. For instance, most federal programs administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development have a baseline set of rules, but once the funding is distributed to states, states get to determine their own criteria that align with their Consolidated Plans, a plan that is required by HUD for accessing all community development programs. This matrix seeks to show the various funding resources available for affordable housing development, the limitations of these resources, and how these resources can best be braided together to increase the supply of affordable housing in Vermont.

Housing Resource Directory

Water and Wastewater Infrastructure in the Town of Cornwall
Summer 2024

Introduction
Through this internship, students supported the creation of a report that examined opportunities and challenges related to water and wastewater infrastructure to support affordable housing development in the Town of Cornwall. While this research centered specifically around the Cornwall, the project aimed to be a broadly relevant report that could be used by other towns that lack public water and wastewater infrastructure and want to develop affordable housing. Included in this report are case study findings from several rural towns in Vermont that illustrate opportunities and constraints to developing centralized infrastructure systems, as well as the results of a housing preference survey of Cornwall residents conducted in July 2024.

MANUFACTURED HOUSING AS A SOLUTION
Winter 2024

Introduction
Addison County, Vermont, faces a significant housing crisis. Manufactured housing communities (MHCs) present a promising solution, offering affordable, energy-efficient homes at a fraction of the cost of traditional housing. Modern manufactured homes, built to HUD standards, are durable, sustainable, and can be constructed quickly, addressing both housing and climate goals. However, challenges such as social stigma, zoning restrictions, and infrastructure limitations hinder their development. By investing in new MHCs, improving existing ones, and promoting public awareness, Vermont can tackle its housing challenges and reshape perceptions of manufactured housing as a sustainable and inclusive solution.

Summer 2025

Forthcoming!