The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and its Vermont partners are now accepting applications for the Working Communities Challenge, a grant competition designed to support cross-sector teams working collaboratively to build strong, healthy economies and communities in Vermont.

Earlier this week, the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) launched the Zoning for Great Neighborhoods project, an initiative aimed at helping Vermont cities and towns break down the regulatory barriers preventing them from meeting the housing needs of Vermonters.

Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) is seeking feedback and comments on the Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) that guides the agency in making housing tax credit allocation decisions. The agency is opening the comment and feedback period effective April 23, 2019 and will close the period on Friday, May 24. The current version of the QAP is available on VHFA’s website.

The State of Vermont’s Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) will be holding a public hearing to receive comments on its draft of the 2019 HUD Annual Action Plan at 5:30 PM this Thursday, April 11 at the Bethel Town Hall.

Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA)’s HousingData.org website has recently been updated to display the latest housing data available. The data updates include the newly released 2017 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, as well as 2018 home sales data from the Vermont Department of Taxes.

With town meeting day behind us and many new faces elected to local office across the state, this post shares a few key housing resources for towns.  

A growing number of Vermont communities seeking economic and community vibrancy through housing have taken foundational steps of conducting local needs assessments and appointing housing commissions.  These commissions are typically charged with recommending policy changes that will ensure the local housing stock offers options affordable at a range of income levels.

The State of Vermont's Department of Housing and Community Development will conduct a public hearing to receive input on its Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Consolidated 2019 Action Plan.

Due to its upward pressure on home prices, VHFA urged the South Burlington City Council this week to end the ban on home building known as Interim Zoning.  South Burlington adopted the Interim Zoning Bylaw on November 13, 2018 after protests about future home building proposed within the City.

If you own a home please join Champlain Housing Trust for this educational Homeowner University.  Learn how to maximize your biggest investment, your home.  Learn how to maintain, manage and protect your home and how to plan and pay for improvements.  Check out the schedule for the day and enroll today!

When?

April 28, 2018 - 9:00am to 4:00pm

Where?

National Life Group has doubled their investments in charitable giving this year to 2 million dollars. Part of the National Life Group Foundation’s giving will support Main Street Grants, a new project designed to support revitalizing downtowns. As we all know, affordable housing is often a key component of strengthening our state’s downtowns.