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Vermont To Help Displaced Vermonters Through CDBG Funds

Posted February 2, 2012

VPR News interview with Jen Hollar, Deputy Commissioner  of the Vermont Department of Economic, Housing, & Community Development

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

 

 


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.

 

 

 


Public Hearing Announcement: Friday, February 17th

Posted January 18, 2012

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

 


Community Needs Meeting in Barre

Posted October 31, 2011

This Fall, the Put People First Campaign – a project of the Vermont Workers’ Center – is holding a series of community meetings throughout the state. We’re bringing together members of our communities to hear from each other what challenges we are facing and how we can come together to solve them.

-Share the struggles you and your community are facing
-Join with other people in your community to find solutions that put people first
-Watch the trailer for our new film on Irene and the struggle to build back better
-Participate in a “Take Action” Fair

Where: Old Labor Hall, Barre

When: Nov 1st, 6pm

PDF: Community Meetings

URL: Community Needs Meeting

 


Manage government to need, not just money

Posted

By Jack Hoffman, VTDigger.org, October 27, 2011

One of the good things to come out of Tropical Storm Irene was seeing the state respond to human needs. Individuals, businesses, government, and other institutions all had a similar reaction to the crisis: they jumped in with both feet and did what they could to help their fellow Vermonters.

The moment, unfortunately, was fleeting. A month after Irene struck, the Shumlin administration was back into manage-to-the-money mode, building a state budget based on how much money is likely to be available, not on what will be needed to meet Vermonters needs for the coming year. Because it now looks like Vermont will have $75 million-$80 million less next year than even a conservative estimate of need, Administration Secretary Jeb Spaulding has asked all agencies and departments to prepare baseline budgets 4 percent below this year’s appropriation.

Article Taken From http://publicassets.org

PDF: Manage government to need, not just money

URL: Manage government to need, not just money

 


Training: Vermont Lobbying & Communications Bootcamp on 11/15

Posted October 25, 2011

Presented by Common Good Vermont and KSE Partners, LLP government affairs & strategic communications.  This event is a brass-tacks training for nonprofits, activists, community leaders, students, educators  and small-business owners for raising their profile in the Vermont Legislature and developing a voice in government. The event is Part I of a two part series of lobbying and advocacy training presented by Common Good Vermont.

Lobbying & Communications Boot Camp:  How to Raise Your Profile & Get Your Way in an Age of Distraction

When: Tuesday November 15,  9 – 3 p.m.
Where: Vermont Statehouse, State Street, Montpelier Vermont
Who should come: Nonprofit staff, board members, volunteers, small business advocates, activists and anyone who wants to raise their profile and influence the Vermont Legislature.
Cost: $25.00

Click here to Register and Read more

 


New England Housing Network Annual Conference

Posted October 6, 2011

SAVE THE DATE: New England Housing Network Annual Conference

Friday, December 2, 2011

8:30 AM – 3:30 PM

Sheraton Needham Hotel, Needham, MA

Featured Speakers:

  • Xavier de Sousa Briggs, Associate Professor of Sociology and Urban Planning, MIT (Formerly, Associate Director, White House Office of Management and Budget)
  • Barbara Burnham, Director of Federal Policy, LISCSheila Crowley, President, National Low Income Housing Coalition
  • Barbara Fields, New England Regional Administrator, HUDEthan Handelman, Vice President for Policy and Advocacy, National Housing Conference
  • Margaret Salazar, Senior Housing Program Specialist, HUD
  • Barbara Sard, Vice President for Housing Policy, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities(Additional National Speakers to be Announced)

Workshops:

  • Housing Finace Reform and Tax Credit Changes
  • Impact of Federal Budget Cuts
  • Section 8: Creative Approaches with Limited Resources
  • The New Reality for Public HousingSustainable Communities
  • Housing Counseling: Best Practices and Future Plans

New England Housing Network Lead Agencies:

  • Connecticut Housing Coalition
  • Citizen’s Housing & Planning Association, MA
  • Maine Affordable Housing Coalition
  • Housing Action New Hampshire
  • Housing Action Coalition of Rhode Island
  • Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition

To register and obtain the conference brochure, click here

To register online, click here

Save the Date & Conference Announcement

 


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