The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recognized Vermont with two "Door Knocker" awards for outstanding work in producing affordable housing.
The honors — two of 14 HUD awarded to just 10 states — went to the City of Burlington for King Street Housing (pictured) and to the state for its Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) Capacity Building Program.
The announcement of the "Door Knocker" awards coincides with the 20th anniversary of the HOME Program, the largest federal block grant program dedicated to producing affordable housing at the state and local levels. Since 1992, HOME has produced more than 1 million units of affordable housing in the U.S.
King Street Housing
King Street Housing's a 20-unit rental development with 10,000 square feet of office space developed by the City of Burlington and Champlain Housing Trust (CHT).
The project's located in a downtown neighborhood designated as a Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area and threatened by gentrification and displacement of low-income residents. Under the community land trust model pioneered by CHT, 17 of its units are perpetually affordable.
The building's LEED-certified with energy-efficient features that lower operating costs.
CHDO
Under the leadership of the state and the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB), Vermont's CHDO network has grown from two non-profit organizations covering three counties to 10 CHDOs and several non-profits covering the entire state.
In the last 10 years, the CHDOs have been responsible for the development of nearly 3,000 units of affordable housing. More than half of the 1,000 HOME-assisted projects have been developed in communities as small as 1,000 people. But the state's also undertaken projects in Burlington and resort communities like Manchester.
These projects have cleaned up brownfield sites, revitalized neighborhoods, and served people with extremely low incomes and disabilities.