VHFA News

By:
Victoria Johnson

weekly plannerOrganizing your schedule for next week? Check out the list below and the Events Calendar page on VHFA's website for the latest Vermont housing events.

Webinar: Approaching the True Cost of Living: The Location Affordability Portal

  • Wednesday, December 4, 2013
  • 1:00 PM-2:00 PM   Webinar, Burlington, VT

Did you know that transportation costs are the second-biggest budget item for most families?  Combine that with housing costs, and you have a major driver of decision-making for American families. Earlier this year, HUD released the Location Affordability Portal to provide the public with reliable, user-friendly data and resources on combined housing and transportation costs.  The portal can help consumers, policymakers, and developers make more informed decisions about where to live, work, and invest. APDU board member Kathryn Pettit, along with Josh Geyer from HUD, will demonstrate two portal tools, the Location Affordability Index and My Transportation Cost Calculator.  They will also discuss the resources and research available to better crunch housing and transportation data. Presenters: Kathryn Pettit, Urban Institute Josh Geyer, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development  Cost: APDU Members:  Free C2ER Members:  Free LMI Institute Members:  Free Non-Members:  $50. APDU is a national network that links users, producers, and disseminators of government statistical data.  Our members share a vital concern about the collection, dissemination, preservation, and interpretation of public data.  As an association, we are committed to helping users identify public data that meet their needs and applying those data in cost-effective and appropriate ways, establishing effective two-way communication between data producers and users, and bringing the perspectives and concerns of public data users to bear on important issues of government information and statistical policy. More information: http://apdu.org/events/approaching-the-true-cost-of-living-the-location-affordability-portal/.

 

The New England Housing Network Conference

  • Friday, December 6, 2013
  • 8:00 AM-4:00 PM   The Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center, 1657 Worcester Road, Framingham, MA

The conference will have a number of highlights, some of which will include: Remarks by Barbara Fields, New England Regional Administrator, HUD Presentations by national advocates such as: Joe Belden, Deputy Executive Director, Housing Assistance Council Barbara Burnham, Vice President for Federal Policy, Local Initiatives Support Corporation Sheila Crowley, President, National Low Income Housing Coalition Chris Estes, President and CEO, National Housing Conference Barbara Sard, Vice President for Housing Policy, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Debbie Weinstein, Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs Workshops on the following topics: Strategies to End Homelessness Section 8 Voucher Solutions Green and Healthy Housing Initiatives Creating an Affordable Housing Message RAD and Public Housing Foreclosures and Housing Counseling Implication of Tax Policies and Financial Reform on Affordable Housing Rural Development Zoning and Land Use: The Impact of the latest U.S. Supreme Court decision Social Innovation Bonds A plenary session featuring the Housing Finance Agency Executive Directors from all 6 New England states.  More details of the conference and registration information will soon be released. More information: http://www.chapa.org/event/save-date-new-england-housing-network-annual-conference-december-6-2013.