Gov. Jim Douglas has appointed Thomas N. Pelletier of Montpelier to the VHFA Board of Commissioners.

"Tom's been a highly-respected member of Vermont's lending community for a decade," says Executive Director Sarah Carpenter. "We're all looking forward to the energy and fresh perspective he'll bring to our Board."

He's been President and Chief Executive Officer of Northfield Savings Bank in Northfield since 1998, and fills the vacancy created by the departure of Paul Beaulieu, former Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer of Factory Point National Bank.

VHFA Loss Management Specialist Polly Thibault has won the first award in the Agency's current walking program.

Polly won a gift card to Healthy Living Natural Foods in South Burlington for walking the most steps of any staff member last week: 68,687!

We're in the second week of VHFA's eight-week walking program, encouraging staff members to wear Agency-supplied pedometers to count their steps and increase their physical activity.

Read more about our walking program.

VHFA has just published "The Costs and Benefits of Assisting Vermont's Chronic Homelessness."

The 14-page report compares the costs of repeatedly serving people with serious disabilities and long histories of homelessness through expensive systems such as emergency rooms, prisons, and shelters with the costs of providing permanent supportive housing. It draws from studies already done in communities across the country.

Valley Cares (West River Valley Senior Housing & Assisted Living) has won a Charles L. Edson Tax Credit Excellence Award from the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition (AHTCC) in Washington, D.C.

AHTCC presents the awards each year to the most outstanding Housing Credit properties in six categories, celebrating the best in affordable rental housing development.

The West Townshend property won in the Senior Housing category.

Valley Cares will receive a $5,000 grant to develop additional services, facilities, or amenities for its residents.

AHTCC is a non-profit organization consisting of syndicators, developers, lenders and other organizations involved with the Housing Credit program.