Today marks the date in 1974 that Gov. Thomas Salmon signed legislation creating Vermont Housing Finance Agency.

In the past 34 years, we've helped about 26,000 Vermonters purchase primary residences; and have provided financing, development and management support, subsidy administration and tax credits to 7,400 units of multifamily rental housing.

Happy birthday to us!

Coincidentally, today also marks the 40th anniversary of the federal Fair Housing Act, signed into law on this date in 1968 by President Lyndon Johnson.

Our friends at the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition (VAHC) have issued a press release regarding the latest "Out of Reach" report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC).

The report shows Vermont is the 18th most expensive state in the nation for renters, and in the top 10 for most expensive rural areas.

Read the full VAHC release.

Vermont Center for Independent Living is organizing a Universal Design Conference April 24 at the Doubletree Hotel in South Burlington.

VHFA, along with several statewide housing partners, are sponsoring the day-long event. The agenda will include a keynote speaker from Adaptive Environments, and breakout sessions on:

Congratulations to VHFA Multifamily Operations Specialists Erin Philbrick and Joshua Slade for receiving their Tax Credit Specialist certification from the National Center for Housing Management (NCHM) — the result of three days of training and exams held in Boston last month.

Tax Credit Specialists exhibit a high level of knowledge of the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program, which creates and preserves affordable rental housing for lower-income households.