We've completed our most recent update to the "Vermont housing data profiles" section of the Vermont Housing Data Web site.

New figures include:

Mary Powell, President and Chief Executive Officer of Green Mountain Power Corp., wrote a piece titled "Affordable housing, conservation vital" in the opinion section of today's Burlington Free Press.

She points out the importance of funding the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB), and writes about the economic benefits of building affordable housing.

The National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA), of which VHFA is a member, is a national, nonprofit organization created by the nation's state Housing Finance Agencies (HFAs) to advance through advocacy and education their efforts to provide affordable housing.

With daytime temperatures forecast to barely rise above zero the rest of this week, thoughts turn to Vermont's homeless population.

That topic was the lead story on last night's 6 o'clock news on WCAX Channel 3.

The Samaritan House of St. Albans was featured in that story. The shelter's Linda Ryan said, "We have had a significant increase in the number of women and families that come here."