Partner organizations

Households that include people with disabilities are more likely than others to have very low-incomes, pay more than half of their income for rent, and have other housing problems, such as living in inadequate or overcrowded housing, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's recent report "Worst Case Housing Needs of People with Disabilities — Supplemental Findings of the Worst Case Housing Needs 2009: Report to Congress."

Burlington's Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS) is holding its annual COTS Walk fundraiser Sunday.

About 1,500 people are expected to take the three-mile trek to raise money and help draw attention to the needs of the homeless. The route follows the path a homeless person might travel to receive shelter and services in the Queen City.

The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) awarded more than $216 million to nearly 700 new homeless programs across the country. The grants are $26 million more than last year’s, and, combined with renewal funding announced earlier this year, represent the most homelessness assistance ever awarded by HUD.

Vermont will receive $128,400 in "Shelter Plus Care" (S+C) funds.

The S+C program provides housing and supportive services on a long-term basis for homeless persons with disabilities and their families who are living on the streets and in emergency shelters.

Three reports from the Center for Community Capital conclude that job and income losses are driving today's foreclosures, and suggest solutions.

The first wave of foreclosures were mostly the result of bad mortgage products and policy, according to the Center. Since the first quarter of 2009, however, the driving factors have been the loss of jobs and income.

The Center concludes, "In the long run, foreclosures that result because borrowers lose their jobs require new solutions that focus on the underlying issues of unemployment, such as the Hardest Hit Fund, and are flexible and targeted.

The recent recession pushed the number of renters who pay more than half their income for housing to record levels, according to a report released today by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS).

The report, “America’s Rental Housing: Meeting Challenges, Building on Opportunities," finds even prior to the recession, long-term increases in rents and utility costs combined with falling renter incomes put strain on many renters’ budgets.

The recession made matters worse, increasing the cost burden on working and middle class Americans.

Members of the Rockingham Area Community Land Trust (RACLT) in Springfield have voted to dissolve the organization.

Under the proposed plan, the more than 500 affordable housing units owned and managed by RACLT  would go to Windham Housing Trust (WHT), which will continue to serve the tenants.

RACLT cites difficult economic conditions as the reason for the change, which has been under consideration for more than a year.

One potential stumbling block is RACLT's mobile home parks, which WHT doesn't want to purchase.

Read more in the Brattleboro Reformer.

March 16th's kick-off meeting for the Chittenden County Regional Sustainability Project will air on public access stations around the county, and is available as streaming video below.

The first meeting of the steering committee overseeing a two-year regional sustainability initiative is a partnership of Chittenden County municipalities, state and local agencies, institutions and non-profit organizations.

The Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission is the primary agency providing staff support for the endeavor.

A report released today by the Center for Housing Policy shows involuntary, unplanned and frequent moves — such as those caused by eviction or foreclosure — can have negative impact on children and family welfare.

With low-income families more susceptible to such moves, the report provides yet more evidence of the importance of housing assistance and counseling programs that help
low-income families maintain affordable, high-quality housing.

This morning, the National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA), National Association of Home Builders, National Association of Realtors, Mortgage Bankers Association, and others, released a set of "Principles for Restoring Stability to the Nation’s Housing Finance System."

The principles state:

Santina Leporati, A*Vista Communications and Outreach Coordinator with the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition, appeared on Channel 17/CCTV's "Housing in Review" program yesterday.

You can watch the show on Channel 17 three more times:

1. Friday, March 18, 7 p.m.
2. Monday, March 21, 3:30 p.m.
3. Monday, March 28, 3 p.m.

You can also watch the program here: