Housing policy

The Vermont Senate has passed a bill (S.100) to enact a $35 million housing bond to spur the construction and rehabilitation of affordable housing across the State.  The bill is now in the House with just a few days to go until adjournment.

Housing developers, business leaders, smart growth policy experts and poverty advocates joined together to support the passage of a $35 million housing bond this afternoon at a press conference at Vermont’s State House in Montpelier. 

The Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development recently published its Draft 2017 Annual Action Plan and Draft Vermont National Housing Trust Fund Allocation Plan for comment.  These and other consolidated planning materials are available on

HUD Secretary Julian Castro described his hopes for the transition to new leadership during an interview with NPR yesterday. 

Since it was signed into law as part of the Tax Reform Act of 1986, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (Housing Credit) has become our nation’s most successful tool for building and preserving affordable rental housing.  By providing an incentive for private sector investment, the Housing Credit has financed nearly 3 million apartments across the country for low-income workers, families, seniors, veterans, and those with special needs.  It creates opportunities for the millions of fa

Next week's Vermont Statewide Housing Conference will provide many opportunities to get your questions answered about how the election affects Vermont. Walk-in registration is available at the same initial low price so join us on November 14-15 at the Burlington Hilton.

VHFA's Executive Director Sarah Carpenter announced today that interested parties are invited to submit comments on how housing tax credits are allocated.  Housing tax credits are Vermont’s primary funding source for developing affordable rental housing.  The comments will be considered during this year’s upcoming revisions to Vermont’s Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP).  As administrator of the housing tax credit program, VHFA allocates credits to specific projects in accor

In response to declining housing affordability in many parts of the country, the White House released a report this week on best practices for reducing local housing development barriers. The accumulation of these barriers has reduced the ability of many housing markets to respond to growing demand, the report explains.

Unique features of rural housing require flexible national policies and financing programs, explains Executive Director Sarah Carpenter in her recent article for Rural Voices, a journal of the Housing Assistance Council.

At the invitation of Senator Patrick Leahy, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro visited Burlington yesterday to meet with the state’s housing leaders and attend a ribbon-cutting at the new Bright Street affordable housing project.