The Courage to Keep Going: A Note from Our Board Chair

Dear Neighbor,
 
Let’s talk about courage.
 
At our Annual Meeting, Angie Harbin—our Executive Director—stood up and did what she always does: she told the truth. Not the sanitized version, but the real thing. She reminded us that housing in America has never just been about shelter. It’s always been about power. About dignity. About who gets to belong, and who doesn’t.
 
That speech has stuck with me. Because what Angie said—and what Downstreet is doing—isn’t comfortable. It’s necessary. And in times like these, necessary is enough.
 
We’ve come a long way since 1968, when the Fair Housing Act became law. That wasn’t charity—it was justice. And yet here we are, decades later, still fighting the same fight, still pushing against the same walls. Legal protections are one thing. Safe, affordable, dignified housing is another. And the gap between them? That’s where we live. That’s where we work.
 
In 2024, Downstreet didn’t play it safe. We bought a homeless services hotel. We joined forces with Lamoille Housing Partnership. We said yes when others were hesitating. Why? Because people needed homes, and someone had to do something. So we did.
 
Here’s what that looked like:

• More than 1,300 Vermonters housed. A third of them had been homeless.
• 800 people got the support they needed to stay housed.
• 200 families took a step toward owning their own home.
• 129 rental homes came back to life through smart partnerships.
• And plans for one bold merger to grow our footprint and deepen our impact.

This is what action looks like.

But here’s the thing: we’re not done. Not even close. New apartments are under construction. More projects are coming. And the promise we made—to equity, to community, to every Vermonter who’s been told “not here”—that promise still stands.
 
We are building homes. Yes. But we are also building something harder to measure: belief. In each other. In fairness. In the simple idea that everyone deserves a place to live and a place to be.
 
This work is tough. It asks a lot of us. But it’s worth it. Not because it’s easy, but because it’s right.
 
So here’s what I’m asking: stay with us. Keep showing up. Keep speaking out. Keep believing in the people doing this work—not just Angie and our incredible team, but everyone who sees housing as a human right, not a commodity.
 
Thanks for being part of this. Truly.

Kevin Ellis
Chair, Board of Trustees
Downstreet Housing and Community Development