Vermont

The Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) announced the launch of the VHFA Housing Investment Fund with the Vermont Community Foundation (VCF) as its founding investor. The VHFA Housing Investment Fund will initially focus on the development and preservation of affordable rental housing, consisting of both short-term pre-development loans and much needed long-term fixed-rate 20- to 30-year permanent loans for projects.

In the midst of the unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19, Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) is committed to continuing to provide excellent service to its partners while also safeguarding the health of its staff and of the community.

The Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) is seeking feedback and comments on its QAP through Friday, April 15, 2020.

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston (FHLBank Boston) is hosting three sessions to assess its Affordable Housing Program (AHP) priorities and competitive scoring framework to ensure that the program remains a vital, flexible capital source to support a wide range of affordable housing initiatives across New England and the communities its members serve.

The Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) launched the Zoning for Great Neighborhoods project, an initiative aimed at helping Vermont cities and towns break down the regulatory barriers preventing them from meeting the housing needs of Vermonters. The project’s next steps will involve meeting with communities, analyzing typical local regulations, and proposing alternatives that can support the types of homes needed. The full toolkit for municipalities will be completed by the spring of 2020.

The Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) will be holding a series of outreach meetings to seek comments on its draft 2020 QAP. VHFA’s proposed changes to the QAP include formatting changes to improve the structure and readability of the document, income averaging in LIHTC projects, updated green building standards and changes to compliance requirements and credit allocation amounts for supportive housing for homeless households.

The Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) is seeking feedback and comments on its QAP through May 24. Comments should be submitted to Seth Leonard at [email protected] or by mail at 164 Saint Paul Street, P.O. Box 408, Burlington VT 05402.

HUD released the updated Fair Market Rents (FMRs) for the FY 2019 Housing Choice Voucher Program and Moderate Rehabilitation Single Room Occupancy Program for ten areas based on new survey data. The new FMS are effective as of April 15, 2019 and based on surveys conducted by the area public housing agencies and reflect the […]

Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) hired Seth Leonard of Winooski for the newly created position of Managing Director of Community Development. Leonard comes to VHFA from the USDA Office of Rural Development, where he served as Housing Program Director for Vermont and New Hampshire. Prior to that, Leonard worked at VHFA for four years as Homeownership Outreach Coordinator.

A new note from Peter Lawrence with Novogradac and Co. analyses state use of the private activity bonds (PABs). In 2017, eleven states reported no multifamily PAB issuance, up from ten in 2016 and down from the high of 30 in 2011.

Carpenter has served as the state agency’s leader for twenty years.

The 20 year Housing Revenue Bond is expected to help pay for the development or rehabilitation of up to 650 homes (both ownership and rental).