A lot of Vermonters displaced by Irene are hoping their home will be bought out by the FEMA hazard mitigation program, which pays up to 75 percent of the home’s pre-storm fair market value.

Jennifer Hollar, Deputy Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Economic, Housing and Community Development, says the state is committed to helping homeowners who qualify for FEMA mitigation make up that remaining 25 percent gap. Hollar tells VPR’s Mitch Wertlieb, that even for families who don’t qualify for Hazard Mitigation, help could be available in the form of Community Development Block Grants awarded to Vermont from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, in a pool of money totaling more than $21 million.

To listen to the VPR interview

House and Senate Committees on Appropriations

Monday, February 13, 2012, 4:00 – 6:30 p.m. – The House and Senate Committees on Appropriations will hold a joint public hearing on Vermont Interactive Television (V.I.T.) to give Vermonters throughout the state an opportunity to express their views about the state budget for fiscal year 2013. All 14 V.I.T. sites will be available for the hearing: Bennington, Brattleboro, Castleton, Johnson, Lyndonville, Middlebury, Montpelier, Newport, Randolph Center, Rutland, Springfield, St. Albans, White River Junction and Williston. V.I.T.’s web site has an up-to-date location listing, including driving directions, addresses and telephone numbers, http://www.vitlink.org/.

For the first time, the budget hearing will be VIEWABLE via the Internet if your computer has flash-based streaming capabilities.

Go to www.vtlink.org/streamingmedia/vtcvitopen.php

Some mobile devices may require additional software.

The Governor’s budget proposal can be viewed at the Department of Finance’s website: http://finance.vermont.gov/state_budget/rec. For information about the format of this event or to submit written testimony, call the House Appropriations Committee office at 802/828-5767 or emailtutton@leg.state.vt.us. Requests for interpreters should be made to the office by 12:00 noon on Monday, January 30, 2012.

PLEASE SET ASIDE FEBRUARY 23^rd as a day that you and your organization’s key supporters will spend in Montpelier talking and advocating in the Legislature on the importance of Vermont Housing and Conservation Board funding for your organization and the communities it serves.

Governor Shumlin has proposed $14 MILLION FOR VHCB – a $1.2 million increase.  With a $60 million budget deficit, this is a very positive development.

We need members to TURN OUT IN FULL FORCE to support his request and show appreciation.  Already voices in the Legislature have been raised saying that we don’t need to fund conservation when the state needs all available resources to help recover from Irene.  As the Governor has proposed, VHCB will play a key role by providing $2 million over two fiscal years to help homeowners who want buyouts of their destroyed homes, and to towns which seek to convert those parcels to open space and park land.

We need to reaffirm our core message that BOTH conservation and affordable housing are critical economic development investments that must remain a priority as the State meets the challenges of recovery and the fifth consecutive year of budget shortfalls.

Full Information & Tentative Schedule

For further information, contact:

Erhard Mahnke at 233-2902 or erhardm@burlingtontelecom.net

John Shullenberger at 373-2590 or jdsdiann@together.net

Adam Necrason at 223-9988 or necrason@snlawvt.com

Tropical Storm Irene upended houses, personal property and lives in Vermont. The natural disaster, which destroyed more than 700 homes and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to state and local roads, also led to unprecedented legal questions.

Vermonters, in some cases, not only lost their belongings and homes, but also their land. Should towns redraw property boundaries in situations where a former dooryard has been reduced to river bed?

Other residents faced the sure knowledge that they would never repay hundreds of thousands of dollars on mortgages for properties that no longer exist. In rare instances, victims of the raging floodwaters faced both stark realities. What, if anything, can banks and municipalities do if residents walk away from their mortgage obligations?

Meanwhile, mobile home owners are unable to take on more debt because their housing devalues quickly over time and they don’t have asset capacity.

Though the state’s community banks have been quick to respond, certain out-of-state banks, namely Bank of America, have not been as generous with property owners’ who face foreclosure, according to Senate President Pro Tempore John Campbell …

Link to Full Article & Link to Video Content

Link to PDF of Article

January 24, 2012 from 1:30 to 3:30 EST

For More Information Please Visit: http://hometa.info

HUD published a significant proposed regulation for the HOME Program in the Federal Register on December 16, 2011.  The proposed changes are intended to enhance performance and accountability, and clarify certain existing provisions.  Public comments on the proposed changes are due by February 14, 2012.

Full Information on Webinar

Section-by-section summary of the proposed changes

HUD encourages HOME Participating Jurisdictions, other program partners and stakeholders to comment on the proposed rule and raise questions for clarification through the comment process. HUD will host a webinar on the HOME Proposed Rule January 24, 2012 from 1:30 to 3:30 EST. CheckHOME’s TA site for the latest information on the webinar.

Here is the HUD webinar access information:

Install Live Meeting: You will need to install Live Meeting on the computer you will be using during the presentation. To install the software and check to ensure your system is compatible with Microsoft Office Live Meeting, go to http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=90703

Logging onto Live Meeting: At least 20 minutes prior to the webinar start time, log onto the Live Meeting website by copying and pasting the meeting URL into your browser.

• Meeting URL: https://www.livemeeting.com/cc/icfconsulting/join?id=HOME+Rule&role=attend
• Meeting ID: HOME Rule
• Role: Attendee

Call in for audio: After logging onto Live Meeting, dial into the conference call number below so that you can hear the presentation. You may dial in up to 15 minutes before the session begins.

• Audio Login: +1 (888) 481-2845 (toll-free) or +1 (719) 325-2249 (toll)
• Passcode: 8925149
• Conference Title: HOME Proposed Rule

Troubleshooting & Additional Instructions: If you have any trouble logging in and to review additional guidance on participation (including how to ask questions), please click here.