Our friends at Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB) will receive a Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program (HOPWA) renewal grant for $1.43 million to continue a statewide HIV/AIDS housing and supportive services program.

The grant is one of 18 made nationwide by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). HUD awarded a total of $19.3 million.

In an opinion piece published in this morning's Burlington Free Press, Vermont Bankers Association President Chris D'Elia assures readers that, despite news of bank failures in other parts of the country, "Vermont banks are responsible, trustworthy institutions," and "your deposits are quite safe."

He blames the recent failure of the IndyMac bank on "aggressive mortgage loans made in California, a state experiencing some of the highest levels of foreclosure in the country.

"Vermont banks stayed away from those types of loans," he explains. "We did not embrace the alternative mortgage products that have created the mess in states like Nevada, Florida, Arizona or Michigan."

This is the fourth of several quick bios we'll blog of speakers scheduled to appear at the Vermont Statewide Housing Conference, Nov. 18 in South Burlington.

Read about other speakers scheduled to present at the event and register to attend at the conference Web site.

Robert Appel has served as the Executive Director of the Vermont Human Rights Commission (HRC) since November 2001 overseeing all operations of the HRC and acting as legal counsel.

Staff members have begun to fill up the VHFA food pantry to benefit the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf.

By bringing a non-perishable food good each day this week, staffers can "buy" the right to dress casual for the day.

Those of us too lazy ... er, busy ... to make it to the grocery can earn the right to wear those blue jeans by writing the food shelf a check.