Disaster recovery

The Local Solutions and Community Action Team of the Vermont Governor’s Economic Mitigation and Recovery Task Force created a tool for municipalities and local leaders looking to expand the vibrancy of their communities. The ideas and recommendations in the tool come from Vermonters and in many cases have already been implemented with success in communities across the state.

Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO)'s Fair Housing Project will host a free, hour-long webinar on Friday, July 31 at 12:30 p.m. It will discuss the current state of homeownership and housing in Vermont (including racial inequities), describe how to access community housing data, and will share resources for homeowners affected by the pandemic, including the Vermont COVID Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program.

Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) has announced an expansion of the Vermont Mortgage Assistance Program in order to assist more Vermont homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgage and are facing economic hardship brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vermont Legal Aid will host a free, 30-minute virtual town hall on Thursday, July 23 at 10 a.m. It will discuss the new financial help homeowners affected by COVID-19 can receive through the Vermont Mortgage Assistance Program as well as other programs for homeowners who may be facing foreclosure. VLA Attorney Grace Pazdan will talk about how the program works, who is eligible for assistance, and how to apply, and will answer questions live. Pre-registration is not required. 

The Local Support and Community Action Team of the Governor's Economic Recovery Task Force is launching a series of virtual forums for every county across the state. The forums, facilitated by the Vermont Council on Rural Development, will allow Vermonters to meet with a team of state, federal, business, and non-profit leaders and share challenges and ideas for community recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and connect to others working to respond, recover, and build long-term resilience.

Vermont’s new Mortgage Assistance Program was announced today to help low-income homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgage and are facing economic hardship brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program will provide up to three monthly mortgage payments directly to the servicer of the mortgage with a goal of preventing future foreclosure. Administered by Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) with $5 million of the funding provided to Vermont through the federal CARES Act, the program is available to any homeowner who meets the eligibility criteria, and is not just for VHFA borrowers. 

Earlier this week, the Local Support and Community Action Team released its interim report with recommendations on how Vermont can begin its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. The team is a part of the Economic Mitigation and Recovery Task Force charged by Governor Scott with identifying recovery initiatives and best practices. VHFA Executive Director Maura Collins is a member of the Action Team.

Haven’t gotten around to completing the 2020 Census yet? If you did not receive materials in the mail with instructions to complete the 2020 Census, you can follow the link below, which provides comprehensive instructions to complete the process:

Start questionnaire

On March 12th, the United States Census Bureau began issuing questionnaires in the mail to homes across the United States for residents to complete the 2020 Census. The very next day, Governor Phil Scott declared a state of emergency in Vermont due to the coronavirus pandemic and as of May 12th, only 49.7% of Vermont households have responded to the questionnaire, compared to a nationwide rate of 58.6%.

The Local Support and Community Action Team of the State of Vermont Economic Mitigation and Recovery Task Force needs your help prioritizing high impact ideas and actions identified by diverse stakeholders for COVID-19 recovery.  The task force was established by Governor Scott to help mitigate the short-term economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and develop strategies for long-term business and community recovery. 

Please share your views in this quick survey on or before Tuesday, May 12th.

Statewide reports of rising unemployment and residents in nursing homes especially vulnerable to COVID-19 can cause more questions than answers for Vermont’s communities. How many of our residents are unemployed?  How many live in “group quarters” and are especially at risk of contagious disease like COVID-19? How many of our neighbors experience homelessness or have such high housing costs relative to their incomes that their housing stability is at risk if their income falls?   

This week VHFA released a new dashboard of pandemic impact indicators to help local and state decision makers get answers to questions on community, county and state level effects of COVID-19.