Reports analyzing Chittenden County's housing needs, economic development, natural resources, transportation, land use, education, public health and energy issues have been completed for the ECOS project. All communities, organizations and residents are encouraged to review and comment on these reports by December 31 through the ECOS website. VHFA prepared the housing needs report in collaboration with ECOS project partners.
Data and Statistics
Planning for Burlington's downtown and waterfront
VHFA recently completed an assessment of the demographics, housing stock, and affordability challenges of residents in Burlington's downtown and waterfront neighborhoods.
This area experienced a much higher rate of population growth during the past decade than the city as a whole. It's primarily renter population has lower incomes on average, with a third spending more than half of their incomes for housing.
HUD wants your input!
What more do we need to know to improve housing and community development policy and practice? The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) is formulating its research agenda for the next 5–10 years and would like your input.
Think critically and provide input about the above question as it relates to four targeted topic areas:
Happy 25th Birthday, Housing Credit!
This week marks the 25th anniversary of the Tax Reform Act of 1986, the landmark legislation signed on October 22, 1986 by President Reagan that created the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (Housing Credit). Congress created the Housing Credit to encourage the construction and rehabilitation of affordable apartments for low-income working families by offering owners of such housing a credit against tax liability for 10 years. While no one could predict its future at the time, the Housing Credit has gone on to become the most successful rental housing program in history with over 2.4 million units of affordable, quality apartments constructed and preserved in rural, suburban, and urban areas across the country
Vermont ranks 2nd highest for seasonal units
Only one other state in the country (Maine) has more of its housing stock comprised of vacant, seasonal units. A recent comprehesive report from the Census Bureau on housing characteristics shows that these homes make up 15.6% of Vermont's housing stock--an increase from 14.6% in 2000. Only 3.5% of all homes in the U.S. are vacant, seasonal units.
Despite a slight national decline between 2000 and 2010 in the percentage of homes that are owner occupied, Vermont's homeownership rate was virtually unchanged at 70.7%.
Census estimates confirm decline in household income and increased poverty
The recession's longstanding toll on the incomes of Vermont households is shown clearly in estimates released by the Census Bureau yesterday. The median income of a household in the state dropped to $49,406 in 2010 from $51,618 in 2009. The poverty rate among Vermont households rose to 12.7% up from 11.4% in 2009. Poverty among the state's children rose particularly high--to an alarming 16.7% in 2010 up from 13.3% in 2009.
New estimates about characteristics of Vermont households released
The Census Bureau released new estimates today that provide information about the characteristics of residents and homes in Vermont and its counties in 2010. These estimates are based on the annual American Community Survey (ACS), which asks a sample of Vermonters questions about their home and the household members living there.
While the decenniel Census provided counts of people and households, ACS estimates provide valuable information about the characteristics of Vermont residents.
Here’s a sample of the types of information collected through the ACS:
Vermont housing data back on-line
The Vermont Housing Data website is back on-line, after a short outage due to problems with our off-site host. We regret the inconvenience.
New portal of Vermont rental vacancy lists
In response to the need for temporary and long-term housing after Tropical Storm Irene, we've added a new feature to the Vermont Housing Data website to help residents quickly view on-line lists of apartments for rent across the state. The new "portal", accessible directly from the housing data site's home page, provides links to lists of vacancies from:
Study confirms academic benefits of reducing childhood exposure to lead-based paint
Public policy efforts in Massachusetts in the 1990s to reduce children’s exposure to lead generated “modest but statistically significant improvements in test performance in the 2000s, with particular benefits for children in low-income communities,” according to a recent report. The study was conducted by the New England Public Policy Center at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.