VHFA is gathering input and data regarding two components of the Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) slated to open later this year. HAF was created by the federal American Rescue Plan Act to provide relief for homeowners experiencing financial hardship after January 2020. The Fund will provide Vermont up to $50 million over the next 4 years to provide assistance for mortgage and other expenses troubling homeowners with pandemic-related hardship as well as for housing counseling and legal services.

In 2020 Vermont’s Energy Action Network formed a Weatherization at Scale action team, with the goal of weatherizing every home owned or rented by low-to-moderate income Vermonters by 2030. The coalition, which includes Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA), successfully urged Vermont lawmakers and the Governor to invest more than $20 million towards weatherization in the FY 2022 state budget.

A recent report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston finds that rural New England communities suffered larger economic losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic relative to nearby urban centers and rural counties across the United States.

Northeastern University graduate student Ben Harrold (he/him) has been named the Summer 2021 Vermont Housing Fellow. Harrold will receive a financial stipend to improve and expand information available to decision makers about Vermont housing markets and opportunities. In addition, the program is intended to provide the Fellow with valuable experience aiding his professional development.