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Public Hearing Announcement

Posted February 1, 2012

Joint Public Hearing on Fiscal Year 2013 state budget on Vermont Interactive Television

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.

 

 


Vermont Housing & Conservation Coalition Legislative Day

Posted January 23, 2012

SAVE THE DATE: VHCC Legislative Day will be Thursday, February 23, 2012 at the State House in Montpelier.

PLEASE SET ASIDE FEBRUARY 23rd 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

 

 


Task force identifies post-Irene legal issues

Posted January 19, 2012

VTDIGGER.ORG

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

 

 


Upcoming: HOME Proposed Rule Webinar

Posted

Upcoming: HOME Proposed Rule Webinar

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.

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.

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.

 

 

 


2012 Annual Housing Policy Conference & Lobby Day

Posted January 18, 2012

 

  • When: March 25-28, 2012
  • Where: Washington D.C.

With budget battles looming and the presidential election already in full swing, 2012 is sure to have monumental implications for housing policy. Join us at NLIHC’s 2012 Housing Policy Conference and Lobby Day and hear from leading Administration, HUD and Congressional officials on what lies ahead for advocates of socially just housing policy. With 40 plenary and workshop sessions, an evening reception and Congressional office visits, you’ll leave this year’s conference prepared to bring about positive change.

To learn more and find out information on how to register

 


Public Hearing Announcement: Friday, February 17th

Posted

A public hearing is scheduled for Friday, February 17, 2012, time 10AM, at the Division of Fire Safety office located at 1311 US Route 302 in Berlin, Vermont.

They will also be posted on our division web page soon.

Link to 2012 Draft Access Rules

 


IA’s Voice is Being Heard

Posted January 17, 2012

Yesterday there were about 125 people at our Action on the State Budget at Ohavi Zedek, in which we urged decision-makers to be bold and innovative in addressing poverty by making changes in funding and policies around corrections, education and child care, housing, and job creation, and to raise revenue by increasing taxes on the wealthiest Vermonters. Secretary of Administration Jeb Spaulding (representing Gov. Shumlin), Senators Tim Ashe, Sally Fox, and Anthony Pollina, and Rep. Martha Heath (Chair of House Appropriations) heard our message and shared their thoughts with us.

We will follow up this effort with a Press Conference at the Statehouse on Thursday, January 19 at 11:30 am, and then organize groups of VIA leaders to testify at public hearings in February and conduct one-to-ones with their lawmakers throughout the budget process. Stay tuned for ways in which you can get involved!

Link to Burlington Free Press Article

WCAX Article

PDF of Full Story

 

 

 


Vermont’s Annual Homeless Memorial Vigil

Posted January 6, 2012

 

Advocates rally for Vermont homeless

Burlington Free Press – Terri Hallenbeck

MONTPELIER — A day when the temperature is 7 degrees out at noon is an appropriate day to highlight homelessness.

On the steps of the Statehouse on Wednesday, Linda Ryan of the Vermont Coalition to End Homelessness took her time introducing speakers. The bite of the bitter cold sets in that way and the crowd catches a flavor for how a person without a home might feel, she said.

“We’ve been standing out here on these steps for too many years,” Patrick Flood, deputy secretary of Human Services, said to applause muffled by mittened hands. “In fact, it just seems to get worse every year.”

The death of a homeless man on a Burlington street last month gives the issue renewed urgency, said his boss, Human Services Secretary Doug Racine.

His agency is seeking $1.6 million in the midyear budget adjustment bill that includes money for emergency housing assistance.

Ryan, who is executive director of development at the Samaritan House in St. Albans, said the homeless problem has grown worse. The number of people who have come through her shelter has tripled in the past few years, she said.

Samaritan has four families staying in motels after filling its three apartments, she said. “That’s unheard of in St. Albans,” she said.

Melinda Bussino, executive director of the Brattleboro Area Drop In Center, later told legislators that the overflow, winter-only shelter there has seen a spike in clients from 47 a year ago to 68 this year …

Link to Full Article

Link to PDF of Article

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More News on 2012 Vermont Annual Homeless Memorial Vigil

ABC 22 Video News Story & PDF of Story

 


Tenant Talk’s final issue of 2011 is now available!

Posted December 29, 2011

Tenant Talk is NLIHC’s newsletter for residents of public housing, assisted tenants, and low income renters and their allies. Our fourth issue of the year is all about voterization! Find out how to register and why it is critical for residents to get out the vote. Plus, get info on NLIHC’s 2012 Housing Policy Conference and Lobby Day, and learn how to nominate a tenant association or resident council for our newly created Resident Organizing Award!

Click Here to Read it Now

 


State will supplement heating assistance for low-income Vermonters

Posted December 27, 2011

For Immediate Release

Dec. 27, 2011

Contact: Susan Allen

802-828-6463

Gov. Shumlin: State will supplement heating assistance for low-income Vermonters

MONTPELIER – Gov. Peter Shumlin and legislative leaders announced today that the state would add $6.1 million to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP, to help ensure Vermonters can afford to heat their homes and stay warm this winter.

Despite the heavy lifting of Vermont’s Congressional delegation, the federal contribution to LIHEAP will be about $8 million less than last year. Vermont received $27.6 million in fuel assistance from the federal government for heating assistance last year, providing an average benefit of $866.  This year Vermont expects to receive $19.5 million, providing an average benefit amount of $750, the Governor said.

For more information, contact:

Tom Cheney, Office of the Speaker of the House

802-828-2245

Ashley Grant, Office of the Senate President Pro-Tempore

802-828-3806

 

For Full PDF Click Here

 


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