Few housing units in the U.S. are accessible for people with disabilities and even fewer are both affordable and accessible, according to a recent comprehensive study from HUD. About a third of housing in the U.S. is potentially modifiable for a person with a mobility disability, currently less than five percent is accessible for individuals with moderate mobility difficulties and less than one percent of housing is accessible for wheelchair users.
Data and Statistics
People come and people go: In-migration matches out-migration for Vermont in 2013
About 3.5% of Vermont’s population moved out of the state in 2012-2013—about the same number as those moving in, according to Census estimates. This means that the number of people moving in and out of the state had no net effect on the state’s total population.
Having equal sized flows in and out of the state is not unique for Vermont. The earliest estimates available in this format (for 2004-2005) show that roughly the same number of people moved in and out of the state in that year.
Vermont’s experience mirrors that of several New England states. Both Rhode Island and New Hampshire had in- and out-migration rates in the 3-4% range.
Remodeling key to addressing mismatch between aging population and inaccessible housing
The average aging baby boomer plans to “age in place” which will create new levels of demand for remodeling of the currently inaccessible homes they live in, confirms a recent report from Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.
Student loan balances in two Vermont counties among highest in New England
The average student loan balance is $30,000 among Chittenden and Windsor county residents between the ages of 18 and 44. Only three counties in New England rank higher, according to recent research from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston--Suffolk and Norfolk counties in MA and Grafton County in NH.
Latest Census Bureau estimates added to Vermont Housing Data website
We updated hundreds of estimates pertaining to the housing in Vermont’s communities on the Vermont Housing Data website last week. Many of these estimates originate from the Census Bureau’s annual American Community Survey.
Vermont’s middle class shrunk from 2000 to 2013
Vermont has lost more of its middle class households than most states in the country, according to recent research from the Pew Charitable Trusts. In 2013, 47.4 percent of Vermont households were middle class compared to 52.4 percent in 2000.
Similarly, the portion of Vermont households paying more than 30% of their income for housing rose during this period. In 2013, 37 percent of households in the state had this level of “burdensome” housing costs compared to 30 percent in 2000.
First annual report on SASH evaluation released
Check out this new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Support and Services at Home (SASH) program was launched in 2013 and has connected residents with community based health services. This program was set up to "decrease health care expenditures for elderly residents of affordable housing developments." Vermont SASH participants were studied in a recent evaluation of the program's first year of implementation.
Census Bureau releases new estimates and visualization tools
The Census Bureau released the latest estimates for every Vermont town and county this week along with new, slick tools for quickly viewing them and comparing them to other places. Estimates for the state as well as for every county, place, metropolitan/micropolitan statistical area, and ZIP Code are now available.
Two new tools for looking at the estimates make it super easy to see the estimates:
Your turn to weigh in on VT’s housing and community development priorities
Vermont's Department of Housing and Community Development is in the process of preparing the 2015 to 2020 HUD Consolidated Plan which guides the investment of more than $10 million annually for three formula grants: Community Development Block Grants CDBG), Home Investment Partnership (HOME) funds and Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG).