The Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston (FHLBB)'s 2021 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) will begin to accept applications on June 7. The program will award grants and low-interest loans through member institutions to organizations promoting homeownership and rental housing opportunities for low income households. The Affordable Housing Program has led to the production or renovation of nearly 35,000 affordable homes since 1990. 

By 2030, the Upper Valley region will need to triple the pace of home building and conversions to meet projected demand from existing and future residents, according to the collaborative Keys to the Valley initiative. About one-third of the region’s households are cost burdened by paying more than 30% of their income for their housing. With the region’s aging population and declining average household size, these trends suggest a path forward that preserves existing homes, encourages new homes, improves housing affordability and fosters diverse, smaller housing types. 

Executive Director Maura Collins announced that VHFA has selected Grant Williams (him/him) of Colchester as its new Staff Accountant.  

VHFA’s Staff Accountant is responsible for the Agency's accounts payable and daily cash receipts functions and participates in quarterly closing activities.

Williams comes to VHFA from a South Burlington based web retailer, where he worked as a Purchasing Associate and more recently as a Web Content Specialist. He is pursuing a B.S. in Accounting from Western Governors University. Williams has also worked to assist low- and moderate-income Vermonters in accessing state healthcare programs and volunteered as a tutor for at-risk students in New Orleans.

The Vermont program that helps homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgage or property taxes during the COVID-19 pandemic will re-open on Monday, May 3, 2021.  The Mortgage Assistance Program will provide grants covering up to 12 months of past due mortgage payments and property taxes for eligible homeowners.  

Funded through the federal CARES Act, the program operated first in July through December 2020, providing 636 Vermont households with grants averaging $6,000. With average monthly mortgage payments of $1,200, most of these households owed three months or more of payments and the majority were in a forbearance.