A letter from Coalition Steering Committee Chair Cindy Reid
Dear VAHC Members and Friends,
I write today to announce that Erhard Mahnke, the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition’s longtime coordinator and trusted State House advocate, is leaving the Coalition after 24 years of dedicated service. As we reflect on Erhard’s incredible contributions to the Coalition and its mission of ensuring that all Vermonters have safe, decent, and affordable housing, we are inspired and committed to continue this work alongside our dedicated members and partners.
Erhard has been an integral part of the Vermont housing community for decades and has led the Coalition since 1997. He is the state’s foremost affordable housing advocate, a trusted expert on state and national policy, and a well-known and respected voice at the State House. Erhard has been a leader on housing and homelessness issues, not just in Vermont, but regionally and nationally. He was a co-founder of the New England Housing Network and is a board member of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the nation’s preeminent national housing advocacy organization.
On hearing of Erhard’s departure, long time colleague Gus Seelig, Executive Director of the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, offered this reflection:
“Across more than two decades, Erhard Mahnke has always kept his eye on the prize – housing is a human right. In that pursuit he has been the key person making the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition the leading advocate and respected voice for state and federal policy and programs. His heart, deep technical knowledge and dogged commitment have helped shape Vermont’s policy and programs as both visionary and innovative. Whether working at the grassroots, in the halls of our State House, Congress, at both HUD and USDA, his persistence and perspective have made his presence and leadership the stuff of legend. We thank the Coalition and Erhard for their great work.”
Erhard Mahnke has led the Coalition for 24 years.
VAHC’s major accomplishments during Erhard’s tenure include playing a leadership role in a multi-year statewide Housing Awareness Campaign; creation of the multimedia Voices of Home project to share stories of residents of affordable housing; advocacy for the successful 2017 $37 million Housing Revenue Bond for investment in affordable housing production and preservation; successful advocacy for increased funding and services for Vermonters without housing; helping to lead efforts by the Rental Housing Advisory Board to advance a statewide rental safety and registration program; working with Vermont’s congressional delegation to improve federal housing policy and increase the HUD and USDA Rural Development budgets; and serving as a trusted and sought-out source of information and educational resources for housing groups, lawmakers, and other policymakers alike.
Erhard will continue working with the Coalition through the end of February, at which point he will be joining the staff of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders in his Burlington, VT office as an outreach representative.
“I am extremely proud of what the Coalition and our members and partners have been able to accomplish at the federal, state and local levels over the last 24 years, especially over the last year as we have worked to keep homeless and vulnerable Vermonters safely housed during the scourge of COVID-19,” Erhard said. “I am honored and excited to join Senator Sanders’ outreach team. Bernie has been an inspiration to me and countless Vermonters for decades. I look forward to talking to Vermonters from all walks of life about the challenges they are facing and helping Bernie fight to make their lives better.”
We will sorely miss Erhard at the Coalition. Although it is never a good time for a trusted leader to leave, we have been preparing for this eventuality and feel stronger than ever about the Coalition’s ability to sustain its mission despite his departure. The Coalition has recently finalized its first-ever strategic plan that outlines steps to achieve our 3-year goals, expand our capacity, and transition smoothly to new leadership. At the same time, we are launching our new statewide resident advocacy network, which will organize and train affordable housing residents to build a grassroots housing justice movement and bring new voices to the Vermont State House.
The search for VAHC’s new coordinator will begin next month. In the interim, we will leverage the strengths and talents of our nine-member Steering Committee, our two Americorps*VISTA members, our new resident organizer, our part-time technology and administrative consultant, and a contract lobbyist to cover all aspects of the Coalition’s current work. We will ensure the Coalition and its members have a voice in the State House to advocate for our top legislative priorities during this session.
In these efforts, we welcome the collaboration and increased involvement of our members and partners. We could not do this work without you, we know that you are committed to our mission, and we are grateful for your support. If you have any questions about this transition, we encourage you to reach out to me and other members of the Steering Committee. Please also feel free to reach out to Erhard—he’ll still be here for a few more weeks, working to advance our mission and interests. Please stay in touch, subscribe to our email list for updates, and let us know how we can continue to collaborate and build our base!
Sincerely,
Cindy Reid, VAHC Steering Committee Chair
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