MIDDLEBURY, VT - With many Vermonters feeling stuck because of the increasing costs of homes and the dire lack of availability, officials announced a new program to build more moderately priced homes across the state. The Missing Middle-Income Homeownership Development Program will provide subsidies and incentives for home builders to construct or rehabilitate modest homes affordable to Vermont homebuyers at 120% of the area median household income or lower. 

Drafty, inefficient homes in need of weatherization will soon have a new affordable program available to them with the launch of the Weatherization Repayment Assistance Program (WRAP). The program, funded by $9 million from the state and overseen by the Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA), will use an innovative on-bill payment model to help moderate-income Vermonters participate in comprehensive home energy projects.

WRAP will allow Vermont households to pay for qualifying weatherization projects like insulation and air sealing as well as heat pumps and advanced wood heating systems through a monthly charge on their utility bill that can be paid back over time. Both homeowners and renters can participate in the program.

As a member of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR), we are excited to be a sponsor of this year's Legislative Breakfast being held this Friday, December 9, at the historic Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center in Burlington.

The Research and Communications Coordinator will collect data and conduct analysis of VHFA programs, general housing market, statewide housing needs, and community development research for use by VHFA staff, management, Board, and for external stakeholders.  This position will also ensure content is accessible through VHFA's core information platforms for internal and external use. This role includes developing and updating Agency-wide data, promoting the Agency’s programs and policies, creating informational tools for Vermont communities and policy makers, conducting research, writing reports, press releases, and social media posts as needed.