Thanks to VHFA housing credits and other funding sources, the historic Darling Inn, a perpetually affordable apartment building in Lyndonville, reopened its doors this weekend with much celebration. Executive Director, Sarah Carpenter, joined Senator Patrick Leahy and other partners at Saturday’s ribbon cutting.
Events
Chittenden County leaders call for increased production of housing over next 5 years
Building Homes Together was launched yesterday. It is a collaboration of organizations and communities seeking to remedy some of the most pressing challenges in Chittenden County’s housing market.
“The housing shortage in Chittenden County has been well noted with unhealthy vacancy rates and high rents,” added Charlie Baker, Executive Director of the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission. “Employers can’t find workers, and workers themselves spend more time in commutes and with a higher percentage of their paychecks on housing costs.”
Together over 100 individuals representing local municipalities, institutions, employers, bankers, builders, and others -- including VHFA -- have signed on to support this effort.
VHFA-ers run it out on the Colchester causeway Saturday
As the fog lifted over a brilliant Lake Champlain, eight VHFA-ers raced to the finish line Saturday morning at the Colchester Causeway 5k & 15k Race. Joe Erdelyi, Brittany Garland and Sara Everest showed their endurance with flying colors in the 15k race, while the rest of us happily reached our 5k goals. Saturday’s race capped a multi-month C25K (“couch to 5k”) agency wellness initiative organized by Office Manager Lori Gilding earlier this spring. Marathoner Robin Howe from VHFA's Development and Multifamily Management departments handed out much-appreciated cups of water along the route.
Check out our Facebook page for more photos.
Ground breaking at Elm Place in Milton celebrated
Executive Director Sarah Carpenter joined partners from Cathedral Square and other agencies to launch construction of Elm Place, a 30-unit building for seniors in Milton. Elm Place will be Vermont’s first multi-family building certified to Passive House standards. Better windows and doors, added insulation and improved air sealing are expected to enable the building to use roughly 65 percent less energy.
The project has an anticipated opening date of March 2017. Residents will benefit from Support and Services at Home (SASH) care coordination which supports aging in place through an on-site SASH coordinator and part-time wellness nurse. Two apartments are fully ADA accessible and all apartments are adaptable.
This course, taught by Sandra Adomatis, SRA, LEED GA, is approved for 15 continuing education credits in Vermont and New Hampshire. Read more and register or call (603) 224-9534.
Governor Shumlin, Secretary Cohen of the Agency of Human Services and Commissioner MacKay of the Department of Housing and Community Development invite you to join them and other colleagues and friends for a signing ceremony of an Executive Order related to Publicly Funded Housing for the Homeless. This order will implement a recommendation from the Governor’s Council on Pathways from Poverty by providing another tool to meet the state’s goal of ending family homelessness by 2020 and all other homeless thereafter.
Our brains process information differently. When making important life decisions, we weigh a few factors deliberately (slowly). But for hundreds of other factors, we must rely on intuitive judgment — and we weigh these unconsciously (quickly). Even if in our slow thinking we work to avoid discrimination, it can easily creep into our fast thinking.
VBSR’s marquee event returns for the 26th year! Come for a day of education, networking, and exploration of the triple-bottom-line approach to business! 300+ will attend VBSR’s Annual Spring Conference in Burlington. The day-long event is a great chance for our community of socially responsible business leaders to come together, network, and learn the latest in innovative SR business practices, policies, and thinking.
VHFA tops list of best places to work
VHFA was ranked number one Best Place to Work among small and medium sized companies across the state by the Vermont Business Magazine. The award was made last night at the Echo Lake Aquarium and Science Center, where hundreds of employees from the 38 companies ranked as finalists gathered.
Join the ULI and Enterprise Community Partners to gain the tools, knowledge, and connections for developing exceptional affordable homes that support broader opportunities for low-income families.
This is ULI’s only national conference focused entirely on residential development and housing affordability. Through a program with ample networking, inspiring talks, practical site tours, and replicable examples, Housing Opportunity helps housing leaders improve their practice and build new partnerships.