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.

"Since 2002, VHCB's housing investments have generated $286 million in renovation and housing construction, creating 10,040 jobs and 2,782 units of housing," she writes.

"In addition, affordable housing construction activity takes place in smart growth locations and reduces Vermont's overall energy usage."

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.

NCSHA's legislative and regulatory priorities, adopted annually by its Board of Directors after consultation with all state HFAs, set the agenda for NCSHA's advocacy before Congress, the Administration, and the federal agencies concerned with housing, including HUD and the Treasury.

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."

That echos the findings of VHFA's issue paper from June 2008: "Family Homelessness in Vermont."

VHFA has an immediate opening for its General Counsel position.

General Counsel directs and administers all legal matters for the Agency.

This could be a part- or full-time job, with a minimum of 27 hours a week.

Read the full job description and learn how to apply.