Housing data

Ever wonder why it's not easier to build affordable apartments?  A new interactive tool developed by the Urban Institute illustrates the mathematical necessity of tax credits, loans, tenant income/rent and grants in paying for the costs of affordable housing.  Check it out to see if you can make the math work!

The median price of non-vacation Vermont homes sold during the first six months of 2016 was $200,000, virtually unchanged from 2015. Like prices, the number of sales also held steady compared to the first six months of 2015. 

Lack of affordable housing is the community challenge that survey respondents are most concerned about, according to the recently released 2016 Community Health Needs Assessment.  Among survey respondents, 58.3 percent rated lack of affordable housing as the top concern, followed by 52.5 percent for drug and alcohol abuse.  

A modest, two-bedroom apartment costs $1,099, according to the annual Out of Reach report from the National Low-Income Housing Coalition.

Black and Latino mortgage applicants from New England continued to experience much higher denial rates than whites and Asians in 2013 and 2014, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s recent study.  The disparity occurred at every income level.

The number of homeless living in the U.S. who are over the age of 50 has jumped recently, and now comprises 31 percent of the nation's total homeless population, according to the New York Times.

Although most non-vacation condominiums sold each year in Vermont are near Burlington, several towns in other parts of the state also play an important role in this segment of the housing market. About 80 percent of all primary residence condo sales in Vermont each year take place in 10 towns--7 inside Chittenden County and 3 beyond its boundaries.

Thanks to a local survey commissioned by Vermont State Housing Authority,  the Fair Market Rent standards used for HUD's Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers in Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle counties will be revised upward effective today.  The levels established in December 2015 by HUD were 16 percent lower than the new levels. 

A study conducted by the Center for Outcomes Research and Education (CORE) found affordable housing reduced overall health care expenditures by 12% for Medicaid recipients. By comparing individuals' Medicaid claims in the year prior to moving into affordable housing to their Medicaid claims in the year after moving in, researchers found an average total savings of $576 a year.

Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission Executive Director Charlie Baker joined area business leaders this week to discuss the region's growing  jobs-housing imbalance. Although the number of people working in Chittenden County has grown to approximately 99,800, there are 11,300 fewer employees living here than in 2002.