The Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition (VAHC) is encouraging Burlington residents to attend tonight's Burlington City Council meeting and speak out in support of affording housing in Vermont.

The Council is considering adding a question to Burlington's March ballot urging Vermont lawmakers to protect 300 affordable housing units in the Queen City by passing preservation legislation.

According to VAHC, more than 2,500 affordable units are at risk statewide.

The Council's meeting is at 7 tonight, at City Hall, 149 Church St., Burlington. The public forum begins at 7:30.

The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) has made a grant of nearly a quarter-million dollars to improve energy efficiency at Windsor Village.

The $243,500 grant will be used to improve the 77-unit housing development in Windsor.

Housing Vermont began work on the $5 million improvement project last month. It's expected to be completed in about a year.

Brenda Howley of South Burlington has joined VHFA as Legal Coordinator.

Brenda assists General Counsel George Demas in performing legal functions for the Agency, including oversight of corporate records management, program and procedure review and closings of multifamily mortgage loans for construction, acquisition and rehabilitation, preservation, and ownership transfer involving multiple lenders, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, bond financings and other sources of funding.

Vermont's Commission on Financing and Delivery of Affordable Housing and Conservation has issued its report. Its conclusion: Vermont’s housing delivery system is efficient and produces desirable results that can be a model for other states.

The eight-person commission was created by the Legislature last season to study the work of Vermont's four statewide housing organizations, including VHFA, responsible for funding organizations and individuals who provide or receive affordable housing.

At question is the impact of a possible merger of the organizations on the production of affordable housing, land conservation, and historic preservation.