We'll be collecting non-perishable food goods at the Nov. 18 Vermont Statewide Housing Conference.

Like our last conference in 2008, all donations will benefit the Chittenden Emergency Food Shelf (CEFS), the largest food shelf in Vermont, serving more than 10,000 people a year.

According to CEFS, these items make the best donations:

VHFA joins Central Vermont Community Land Trust (CVCLT) and the Vermont Department of Economics, Housing and Community Development for an open house next month. The event celebrates the completion of a special home that's part of the Housing Acquisition & Rehabilitation Program (HARP).

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In light of the many accomplishments and challenges that remain since the passage of the Act, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and partners sponsored a forum in February. Participants with expertise from a variety of areas discussed how to leverage the resources of different sectors to bring more people with disabilities into the financial mainstream.

A book titled, "Opportunities in Community Development Finance in the Disability Market," brings together the many provocative papers presented at the forum.

Vermont Energy Investment Corp. (VEIC), in partnership with Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB) and Champlain Housing Trust (CHT), has received a $350,000 grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

The two-year grant will be used to demonstrate how deep energy efficiency retrofits in single- and multi-family residences can make housing permanently and comprehensively affordable by reducing energy usage and costs.