Vermont gets $2.5 million in public housing grants

Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s congressional delegation – Senator Patrick Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I) and Representative Peter Welch (D) – Wednesday announced the allocation of more than $2.5 million in federal grants to six Vermont housing authorities to preserve, improve and develop public housing across Vermont. The grants were awarded under the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Capital Fund Program.

In a joint statement, Leahy, Sanders and Welch said: “At a time when wages have been stagnant for lower income Vermonters for far too long, and as the cost of rental housing keeps going up, many households have to spend 50 percent or more of their limited income just to keep a roof above their heads. When you spend that much for housing, it leaves precious little for other necessities. That is why it is critically important to improve and expand the stock of decent, safe and affordable housing in our state.These grants are a small but important federal investment to help ensure Vermont housing authorities have the resources they need to meet the need for affordable housing across the state.”

Congress rejected Trump administration proposals to slash the Capital Fund Program by $1.3 billion in fiscal year 2018, instead boosting funding to $2.75 billion in the 2018 appropriations bill signed into law this spring, an $808.5 million increase over the previous year. Despite Congress’ strong commitment to maintaining these funds, the Trump administration has proposed eliminating this program entirely in its fiscal year 2019 budget.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded five grants totaling $2,573,009:

  • Brattleboro Housing Authority:$532,792
  • Rutland Housing Authority:$434,135
  • Barre Housing Authority: $623,504
  • Winooski Housing Authority: $429,514
  • Montpelier Housing Authority: $108,689
  • Bennington Housing Authority: $444,375

Source: WASHINGTON, May 23 – Vermont congressional delegation