From L to R: Ted Brady (USDA), Jenny Nelson (Senator Sanders

office), Werner Heidemann (RuralEdge), Senator Leahy, Jen Hollar

(VHCB) and Sarah Carpenter (VHFA).  Photo by Elwin Prescott.

By purchasing $125,000 in Vermont Housing Tax Credits last Friday, Union Bank supplied the equity needed to help approximately 125 households buy their first homes in Vermont this coming year. These households will receive up to $5,000 to help cover their down payment and closing costs through a statewide program when they qualify for a Vermont Housing Finance Agency mortgage. 

The median price of non-vacation Vermont homes sold during the first six months of 2016 was $200,000, virtually unchanged from 2015. Like prices, the number of sales also held steady compared to the first six months of 2015. 

Lack of affordable housing is the community challenge that survey respondents are most concerned about, according to the recently released 2016 Community Health Needs Assessment.  Among survey respondents, 58.3 percent rated lack of affordable housing as the top concern, followed by 52.5 percent for drug and alcohol abuse.