Workforce Housing Program

Investing in Our Workforce: A Housing Initiative Recognizing a need and Building a Solution- Over a decade ago, Naylor & Breen recognized the growing need for affordable workforce housing. We noticed a trend in housing stock, prices, financing hurdles, and all these circumstances created challenges for members of our team. In response, we launched a pilot program in 2014 to support our employees in securing stable housing - either through renting directly from the company or entering into rent-to-own agreements.

To date, seven of our employees have benefited from this program, with Naylor and Breen managing the acquisition, securing potential funding assistance, and handling renovations. We customize rental agreements based on the raw cost of the home and what's fair to our employees - sometimes subsidizing rent to make it truly affordable.

To make this happen the N&B team has pledged support in a variety of different ways:

· Capital to secure property and pay for renovations

· Re-use of leftover materials and supplies

· Use of company equipment and resources

· Use of company buying power for materials

· Use of company relationships for sub-contractor services

· People power, employees banding together to help one another

· And most importantly a willingness to be creative and think outside the box

What this Program Means to our Employees-

“The Naylor & Breen Workforce Housing Program was life-changing for me. As a young adult who grew up in Rutland County, it was important for me to be able to work and live in the community that formed who I am today. The hardest part of making the decision to stay in this area was the fact that it's extremely difficult to find an affordable place to live. Not only did the Naylor & Breen Workforce Housing Program provide me with an affordable place to live, but it also helped put me in the position to purchase my first home in the county that I grew up in.” Current Employee, Josh

“Without the help from Naylor and Breen and their assistance with obtaining our home, there’s no way a single father would be able to afford anywhere to live in this area. Thank you for your help and everything you do” Current Employee, Jason

“Living in employee housing made a big difference in my life. It took a lot of stress off my plate, especially not having to worry about high rent or having to live far from work. In the near future, I hope to purchase the house and couldn’t be more grateful to have the opportunity at 24 years old.” Current Employee, Tyson  

 “In September of 2015, Tanner Romano helped us secure a home. At the time, we had outgrown the small house we were renting, and we were in need of more space to accommodate our family’s needs.  Due to the lack of rental options available to us, and our inability to obtain a loan from the bank, Tanner purchased the property at 201 Church Street in Rutland. We made the monthly payments, and then on 6/13/2019 we were able to purchase the home from Tanner.  Our family is grateful to Tanner for making what seemed like an impossibility, a reality.“ Current Employee, John

The Future of Workforce Housing -

Naylor & Breen’s workforce housing initiative has proven to be a sustainable and impactful way to support our team and we're just getting started. Our goal is to continue growing this program, extending its benefits beyond our employees to make a broader impact on the local community and businesses facing the same workforce housing challenges.

We believe that when employees have access to stable, affordable housing, they thrive and so do the companies and communities they support.

We hope our story can show a potential pathway for other employers and organizations to make a difference in the lives of working Vermonters.