Misc

April is Fair Housing Month, marking the 43rd anniversary of the federal Fair Housing Act.

The Act, passed by Congress in 1968 at the urging of President Lyndon Johnson, protects buyers and renters of dwellings from discrimination by sellers and landlords.

Providing affordable housing opportunities to all Vermonters is one of the founding principles of VHFA. Last October, VHFA published the City of Burlington's Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (PDF).

For more information about Fair Housing in Vermont, visit the Vermont Human Rights Commission.

VHFA's offices are back open for business after yesterday's snow day.

Due to the weather, VHFA's offices are closed Monday, March 7.

We'll reopen Tuesday.

VHFA has closed its offices for the day, due to the weather.

We'll reopen for business tomorrow morning at 8.

Jennifer Hollar has joined VHFA's Board of Commissioners.

Jennifer, the state’s new Deputy Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Economic, Housing and Community Development (DEHCD), has worked at the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Affairs, Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, and a Washington, D.C., municipal development organization.

For 10 years, she served as a Commissioner of the Montpelier Housing Authority and has been on the Board of the Central Vermont Community Land Trust for six years.

We're looking for VHFA home mortgage loan customers, as well as renters of VHFA-financed apartments, to join our collection of success stories.

"Now, more than ever, it's important organizations like VHFA be able to demonstrate the good results of our work," according to Executive Director Sarah Carpenter.

"With government bailouts and growing national debt on everyone's minds, it's important we point out that VHFA and many of the nation's other housing finance agencies are self-sustaining. Our housing finance tools and tax credits are essential to improving stability and vibrancy in Vermont communities."

Call the White House at (202) 456-1414 now and urge Administration officials to include the National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) in the final tax package being negotiated with House and Senate leaders.

This is the last chance before the next Congress to get long-awaited funding for the NHTF, which would bring $3 million and approximately 30 new project-based housing vouchers to Vermont.

75% of these new resources would be targeted for extremely low-income households: people at or below 30% of area median income.

VHFA Policy and Planning Manager Maura Collins will join Brian Pine from the Burlington Community and Economic Development Office in presenting the city's "Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice" report to the city council tonight.

The Burlington Free Press included a preview of the meeting in this morning's issue.

The meeting starts at 7:15 tonight in Contois Auditorium, 149 Church St., Burlington.

VHFA Policy & Planning Manager Maura Collins is speaking today to a State and Local Politics class at Norwich University.

She'll address approximately 20 upper-level students on the Northfield campus on the topic of state and local housing policy.

Maura also teaches a graduate level course on housing policy at Burlington's University of Vermont.