Partner organizations

Break out your knitting needles (or get shopping) to keep children warm this winter. Drop off new children’s mittens and gloves at VHFA’s office at the corner of Saint Paul and King Streets in Burlington by Friday, December 16. 

After stuffing them with holiday goodies, VHFA will deliver the gifts to the King Street Center for children and teens who participate in their programs. 

VHFA’s mitten drive has been an annual holiday tradition for many years, thanks to the generosity of area mitten and glove donors like you.  Contact Steve Gronlund with questions at 864-5743 . 

Yesterday was pay up day for our friends at Housing Vermont who graciously served VHFA staff a delicious lunch in honor of our 2016 Way to Go Challenge Carbon Throwdown win. 

The friendly competition resulted in estimated savings of 6,475 miles of driving as 43 staff from the two agencies used alternative means of transportation during the 2-week competition in October.  

Way to go!

The Common Rental Application for Housing in Vermont has been revised based on feedback from housing managers, applicant experiences and the state’s evolving information needs.  The revised application was announced by Executive Director Sarah Carpenter last week at the annual conference of the Vermont Housing Managers Association.

Since it was first developed in 2011, the common rental application has been streamlining the process of applying for assisted rental housing in Vermont.  All new rental housing receiving housing credit funding or loans from VHFA are automatically required to use the common rental application.

In addition to construction jobs, the proposed Burlington Town Center plans include creation of 55 new units of affordable housing and 219 market rate homes.  Housing advocates and community leaders joined Burlington Mayor Weinberger today in City Hall Park to discuss ways in which the proposed Town Center would help address the needs of the region’s residents for more affordable homes located near jobs and services. 

Among every 3 Chittenden County renter households, 1 spends more than half of their income for housing.  This creates unsustainable financial pressure and housing instability for struggling, mostly low-income Vermonters.

The Vermont Department Fire Safety announced last week that on October 10, 2016 the 2015 Vermont Fire & Building Safety Code will take effect.

The Code establishes the process to obtain a construction or operating permit, lists the codes and standards that are adopted and describes the process used to evaluate and grant a variance or exemption from the Code. 

With today marking the beginning of Week 2 of Vermont's Way to Go Challenge, VHFA staff are showing their stuff when it comes to reducing carbon pollution. 

Eight-two percent of the Agency’s staff are biking, walking, running, bussing and carpooling as much as possible before the challenge ends on October 7.  In addition to reducing its carbon footprint, the VHFA group has their eye on winning a Carbon Throw Down with our partners at Housing Vermont.

Stay tuned to see if we accomplish our goal!  It's not too late to get in on the challenge yourself and join the fun by registering on the Way to Go website.

Champlain Housing Trust opened a new apartment complex last week in Hinesburg constructed by Snyder Homes. The 23-unit complex includes 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units with rents ranging from $800 to $1,200 per month.

Federal and state housing tax credits allocated by VHFA provided 64% of the funding needed for the project's development. Additional partners included Vermont Housing Conservation Board, Vermont Community Development Program, the federal HOME program and Housing Vermont.

Read more in Vermont Business Magazine.

In Vermont, the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits allocated by VHFA have financed 6,513 apartments, providing affordable homes to 15,175 low-income Vermont households and supporting 7,360 jobs. However, 15,061 households in Vermont still pay more than half of their income towards rent, and the average minimum wage worker has to work 89 hours per week in order to afford a modest-two bedroom apartment, underscoring the need to expand the Housing Credit.