Housing Vermont

From left: Nancy Owens, Secretarty Donovan, Sarah Carpenter (VHFA), Gus Seelig (VHCB)
and Erhard Mahnke (Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition)

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan met with a small group of affordable housing leaders on November 17 prior to his keynote address the following day at the Statewide Housing Conference. Senator Bernie Sanders hosted the event via interactive television at his Burlington office. Housing Vermont President Nancy Owens and VP Kenn Sassorossi were among the dozen and half nonprofit developers, housing advocates and public officials who met with Secretary Donovan for more than two hours.

 

“Secretary Donovan displayed a deep understanding of the whole range of HUD programs,” said Ms. Owens. “His ability to comment knowledgably on subjects from homelessness to FHA to public housing and energy was impressive,” she noted.

 

The meeting with Secretary Donovan allowed ample time to describe some of the challenges facing rural communities. It also provided an opportunity to describe some of the innovative programs offered in this state. Several noted that the integrated housing delivery system and the Vermont scale allowed Vermont to be a highly functional laboratory for new initiatives.