We made two updates to the Vermont Housing Data Web site this week.

On Monday we did a regularly-scheduled update of the Directory of Affordable Rental Housing (DoARH).

The DoARH is a searchable database of all subsidized rental housing in the state.

This morning we updated the "Vermont housing data profiles" section of the site.

In that section, we added or updated:

Vermonters who rent their homes live in the 15th most expensive state in the nation for renters, according to a new report.

"Out of Reach 2008-2009" was released today by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), a Washington, D.C.-based housing advocacy group, and the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition.

The report provides data for every state, metropolitan area and county in the country, comparing 52 jurisdictions, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Rural Vermont ranks in the top 10 most expensive rural areas in the nation.

A new report shows people with disabilities who rely on Supplemental Social Security (SSI) income are hard-pressed to afford even simple one-bedroom or studio apartments.

The Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC) and the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) Housing Task Force publishes its "Priced Out" report every other year.

Its most recent edition, published yesterday, shows Vermont's average rent for a modest one-bedroom apartment is more — nearly 108 percent — than the entire monthly income for someone with disabilities living on SSI.

This past Saturday marked VHFA's 35th anniversary.

The Vermont Legislature created VHFA on April 11, 1974, to finance and promote affordable housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income Vermonters.

Since our start, we've helped approximately 26,500 Vermont households with affordable mortgages and financed the development of 7,700 affordable rental units.

Staff gathered at lunchtime for a little celebratory snack.