Last week Governor Phil Scott joined VHFA Executive Director Maura Collins, Mayor Miro Weinberger and affordable housing developers and advocates at the new Cambrian Rise Neighborhood in Burlington to celebrate the groundbreaking of Juniper House. The project, developed by Cathedral Square Corporation, will create 70 one and two bedroom apartments for seniors. The project received the majority of its funding from federal tax credits and loans awarded by VHFA.

Executive Director Maura Collins announced that Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) has selected Chris Flannery  as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), following an extensive national search. Flannery comes to VHFA from Oak Ridge Financial in Minneapolis, where he served as Managing Director, Structured Finance.

Prior to working at Oak Ridge, Flannery served as VHFA’s Financial Advisor from 2005 to 2017 while working at Piper Jaffray in Minneapolis. In this role he advised VHFA and several other state housing finance agencies, on bond structures, capital market opportunities, and more.

Fall has started to arrive in Vermont, and with it is the return of many college students to the state. The impact of college students on local housing markets has long been a source of tension, particularly among long-term Burlington residents, who worry they may be priced out of housing by the large number of area students. By sharing an apartment and its rent bill, some students are able to pay higher rents than many other households. However, quantifying the impact of colleges on housing remains difficult for researchers.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and its Vermont partners are now accepting applications for the Working Communities Challenge, a grant competition designed to support cross-sector teams working collaboratively to build strong, healthy economies and communities in Vermont.