Executive Director Maura Collins has announced that Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) has selected Megan Roush (she/her) of Northfield in the new role of Director of Development.

Roush has been at VHFA since 2019 working as a Community Development Underwriter. In this role, she has served as the chair of the Manufactured Housing Subcommittee of the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition. Prior to coming to VHFA, Roush worked as a Housing Loan Specialist at USDA Rural Development. Roush has a bachelor's degree  from Saint Michael's College and is currently completing her M.S. in Community Development and Applied Economics at the University of Vermont. She also serves as a volunteer emergency medical technician with Colchester Rescue.

The Vermont Coalition to End Homelessness (VCEH), on behalf of the Balance of State Continuum of Care, is seeking public feedback on its application for special funding from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) to address rural homelessness. 

Increasing mortgage interest rates and home prices have rapidly made it much more difficult for Vermonters to purchase their first homes. About half as many renters can afford to purchase their first home in 2022 compared to 2021, based on VHFA’s recent analysis of sales price and interest rate trends.

National mortgage interest rates rose substantially from 2021 to 2022. The 30-year mortgage interest rate increased from 2.74% in January 2021 to 5.52% in June 2022. Meanwhile, Vermont’s home prices were also rising. The median primary home sold for $259,900 in January through June 2021, increasing to $295,000 in 2022.

Governor Phil Scott has appointed Marie Milord-Ajanma (she/her) of Waterbury to Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA)’s Board of Commissioners.

Marie Milord-Ajanma has worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs since 2006. An Army veteran herself, Milord-Ajanma supervises a team of therapists who offer counseling and other support services to combat veterans as they transition from military to civilian life. She holds a master's degree in counseling from Argosy University in Washington, DC. Milord-Ajanma also brings housing expertise to her role on the Board through her work as a Realtor with Hickey & Foster Real Estate, a division of Keller Williams Vermont.