This morning Union Bank funded nearly $600,000 of Vermont Housing Finance Agency’s (VHFA) highly successful “ASSIST” down payment assistance program. By purchasing Vermont Affordable Housing Credits for the past three years, Union Bank has helped nearly 500 Vermont households buy their first homes.

Staff from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board will outline specifics of the Housing for All initiative, the program funded with the state's recently-enacted bond for housing development.

Based on feedback from property managers and apartment seekers, VHFA launched this week a redesigned, user-friendly Vermont Directory of Affordable Rental Housing at www.housingdata.org. We improved search tools and expanded the site to include more information people looking for an apartment need, such as rent and income limits, property photos, proximity to public transportation, accessibility features and pet policies.  

With the passing of the State budget and enactment of a bond that could produce $35 million, Vermont is making its largest single commitment ever of state dollars for affordable housing. VHFA will issue the revenue bond and the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) will administer the funds statewide to expand Vermont’s stock of permanently affordable housing.