Government agencies and certain private non-profit organizations needing funds to rebuild infrastructure damages caused by hurricane Irene must register with FEMA no later than Oct. 1, 2011.   The deadline is extended to Oct. 17^th for Grand Isle County.  

Tropical Storm Irene wrecked havoc on many of Vermont's mobile homes and mobile home parks.   Since they are more affordable than most other types of owner occupied housing, mobile home residents are more likely to be lower income and to lack the resources to needed to repair or in some cases remove their homes. 

Read this morning's VPR story and yesterday's Burlington Free Press article about the state's mobile home residents.

Hundreds of Vermonters are still without a permanent place to live after their homes were destroyed by flooding caused by Tropical Storm Irene at the end of August.  Many of these individuals are currently in temporary housing – staying with friends and family, or in hotels with help from FEMA or the Red Cross.  These are only short term solutions and each of these Vermonters need a more permanent place to live. 

The recession's longstanding toll on the incomes of Vermont households is shown clearly in estimates released by the Census Bureau yesterday.   The median income of a household in the state dropped to $49,406 in 2010 from $51,618 in 2009.   The poverty rate among Vermont households rose to 12.7% up from 11.4% in 2009.    Poverty among the state's children rose particularly high--to an alarming 16.7% in 2010 up from 13.3% in 2009.