Vermont affordable housing advocates, including VHFA Executive Director Sarah Carpenter, are testifying to the House Ways and Means Committee today.
VHFA Executive Director Sarah Carpenter is testifying this morning to the Vermont House General, Housing and Military Affairs Committee on behalf of the Rental Housing Safety & Habitability Committee.
There's activity in the U.S. Senate to extend the deadline and amount of this year's tax credit for first-time homebuyers.
Last week developers broke ground in Essex Junction on what will become Village Haven, the state's first designated "neighborhood" under the new Vermont Neighborhoods law passed last spring.
Dousevicz Inc. of South Burlington plans to build 18 two- or three-bedroom single-family homes and six duplex homes on the property.
The houses will sell for $258,000 to $320,000.
Yesterday the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services approved the Section 8 Voucher Reform Act of 2009 (H.R. 3045).
The bill would establish a stable, fair and cost-effective funding system for the Section 8 program and ensure no tenant is ever at risk of losing housing assistance because of unexpected budget shortfalls.
The bill would also restore previous assistance levels by authorizing 150,000 new vouchers.
Last week President Obama signed into law the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act.
The new law, which became effective May 20, provides protections for tenants living in foreclosed properties.
The National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA), of which VHFA is a member, is a national, nonprofit organization created by the nation's state Housing Finance Agencies (HFAs) to advance through advocacy and education their efforts to provide affordable housing.
The Federal government is currently working on an economic recovery plan that could amount to $1 trillion.
It's important for the future of affordable housing and the fight to end homelessness that housing is included in that plan.
Our friends at the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) suggest you contact your U.S. Representatives and Senators and encourage them to support a plan that includes several housing-related elements:
Village Haven, a 24-unit development in Essex Junction, has been named the first "Vermont neighborhood" by the state's Downtown Board.
The designation's the result of the Vermont Neighborhoods bill, which was passed this spring to stimulate housing development in downtowns and villages.
Today President Bush signed into law the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HR 3221). The measure provides housing organizations with a number of new tools to help slow home foreclosures and finance affordable houses and apartments.
The new legislation is a major step forward for Vermonters and the nation, according to our Executive Director Sarah Carpenter, but the work isn't finished yet.