VHFA was ranked number one Best Place to Work among small and medium sized companies across the state by the Vermont Business Magazine. The award was made last night at the Echo Lake Aquarium and Science Center, where hundreds of employees from the 38 companies ranked as finalists gathered.
Jennifer Martin joins VHFA as Underwriter
Executive Director Sarah Carpenter announced Jennifer Martin, St. Albans, VT, has joined VHFA as an Underwriter.
Accessible housing can be the norm, not the exception
The toolbox for enabling seniors who want to grow older in their current homes is becoming increasingly effective, according to experts consulted in a recent How Housing Matters article.
A quarter of Vermont households are headed by someone who is 65 or older. The vast majority of these seniors will not move as their physical mobility becomes more limited with age. However, only one in three older Americans lives in a homes with safety features, such as grab bars. Public financial support can put home modifications in reach of lower income seniors.
Study Finds Affordable Housing Reduces Health Care Costs
A study conducted by the Center for Outcomes Research and Education (CORE) found affordable housing reduced overall health care expenditures by 12% for Medicaid recipients. By comparing individuals' Medicaid claims in the year prior to moving into affordable housing to their Medicaid claims in the year after moving in, researchers found an average total savings of $576 a year. Seniors and people with disabilities as well as permanent supportive housing reaped the greatest benefit by saving an average of $84 per month ($1,008 per year).