Last week the Vermont House approved H. 922 which includes provisions from an earlier bill (H.766) that expands VHFA’s Down Payment Assistance Program. The bill is now passed over to the Senate and earlier this week was read and referred to the Senate Committee on Finance.
Federal spending bill increases funding for housing
Last week, the federal government passed an omnibus bill funding the government for FY 2018. Funding for housing and homeless assistance programs exceeded what housing advocates had anticipated. Among the spending is a substantial boost to the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program, which will see an increase of 12.5% to the annual state per capita credit allocation for the next four years.
VHFA again named one of the top 5 best small places to work in Vermont
For the third year in a row, VHFA was ranked in the top five Best Places to Work among small sized organizations across the state by Vermont Business Magazine. After receiving the honor of the number one spot in 2016, VHFA was ranked fourth for 2017, and has just been ranked second for 2018.
VHCB awards proceeds from Sustainability Bonds to affordable housing projects
In January, Vermont Housing Finance Agency was instrumental in the sale of nearly $37 million in Vermont Property Transfer Tax Revenue Bonds. Proceeds from these bonds, sold as sustainability bonds due to their intended use, support the Housing for All initiative to construct and preserve affordable housing across Vermont.