A resident of our newest 24-unit eco-friendly building, Vergennes Community Apartments, let us know how much the place she now calls home means to her and her daughter.

Domestic violence and a fire lead Jennifer to seek assistance from a local support group. Vermont Network reports that there are an estimated 40,000 victims of domestic or sexual violence in Vermont. Jennifer had no license, no car, and was the longest standing resident at the motel provided to her and her 7 year old daughter.

"I looked everywhere for an apartment. I had to be closer to town for transportation since I didn't have a car and it was more expensive the closer I got."

One day all of this changed for Jennifer and her daughter.

"I met Alice at Women's Safe one day. All my life I had never filled out any kind of application for housing or rental assistance so I didn't know all the things I needed to do. Alice helped me get all the paperwork done and when she called me to tell me I got the apartment I broke down crying."

Vergennes Community Apartments is located minutes from main street and feet from the local middle school. This has done wonders for her daughters healing who is now participating in band and is learning to cook, something Jennifer never thought she would do as she had previously refused to go to afterschool programs. 

When asked about the amenities at VCA, Jennifer said "I don't have to stress about getting through the week." VCA offers free WIFI to residents which allowed her daughter to keep up with school during the pandemic. Jennifer also was able to utilize the WIFI to stay connected with health professionals even when community transit was shut down due to COVID. "You guys checked off so many of my worries." Jennifer said when discussing her daughter learning to ride her bike safely with no training wheels.

The support doesn't end with a roof. Jennifer also works with our Family Support Services Coordinator, Precious, on a regular basis. Currently, she is working to get documents needed to get her license back, pay off debt, and finally get dental insurance to have work done she has needed for some time.

When asked how this support has impacted her over the past year Jennifer said, "It makes me feel good I am taking care of something. I used to have really low self-esteem, I’d love it to be higher but it’s crawled up a bit."

Jennifer's advice to anyone seeking housing is "It might be a wait to get in, but it is totally worth it!" ACCT is committed to the growth of affordable housing in Addison County. As a non-profit, all donations go to support the development, maintenance, or support provided to residents. 

The regular October Board meeting will begin immediately following the Special Membership Meeting on Thursday, October 28, at 4pm, via Zoom. Please register in advance to receive the link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEldO2prj0iGdHPzh2TbYlU3BW4H3e0mCVT.

• Agenda
  
• Minutes
  

Addison County Community Trust Board of Directors
Notice of Special Membership Meeting
 
A special membership meeting of the Addison County Community Trust will be held virtually via Zoom on Tuesday, October 28th, at 4:00 pm  [correction: Thursday October 28th at 4pm] to describe a sewer infrastructure project being proposed at Lindale Mobile Home Park on Case St. in Middlebury, approve a USDA Rural Development Financing package for the project, to authorize the board and staff of ACCT to take appropriate action to secure the financing for the project at Lindale, and to answer any member questions about this project.
 
The meeting will be held via Zoom. 
 
Registration is required in order to receive the meeting link.  ACCT members can register by following this link:  http://bit.ly/acctspecialmeeting
 
Please contact Elise Shanbacker at (802)877-2626 x101 or via email if you need assistance.

ACCT's September Board Meeting will be held 9/30/21 at the CSAC offices at 109 Catamount Park in Middlebury at 4pm, or via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87021524494?pwd=MHc5ZEU1MmQ3bTU0c0lucU9TbGJ3Zz09

• Agenda
• Draft July Minutes
  
• Director's Report
• Updated Conflict of Interest Policy
  

Anyone over age 65 who got their 2nd Pfizer shot more than 6 months ago can make an appointment for a booster shot at this time at Vermont pharmacies.
The CDC has authorized booster shots for people over 65 who received their 2nd shot of Pfizer over 6 months ago.  The Vermont Dept. of Health is staggering the registration based on age, however many pharmacies and medical practices are not.  If you are hosting a vaccine clinic through a pharmacy they should include everyone over 65 at the clinic, but be sure to verify this.  Participants who are eager to get a booster can make an appointment through a pharmacy or health care provider without regard to the age banding. 
If a participant wants to register through the VDH site they will need to wait for the age banding to open for their age.  https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/vaccine/getting-covid-19-vaccine
 
Here are a few FAQ’s from the VDH site: https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/faqs#boostershot
 

• Will people with certain medical conditions be able to get a booster shot? Vermont will expand eligibility for booster shots to people aged 18 to 64 with underlying medical conditions on Friday, October 1. We anticipate these conditions will be more specifically defined by the CDC late in the day on September 24.
• Will people in jobs that put them at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure be able to get a booster shot?  Vermont is waiting for guidance from the CDC on what occupational or institutional settings at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure should be eligible for booster shots. Vermont will provide more information based on these recommendations early next (this) week. 
• What do I do if I laminated my card? You will be given a new card at your booster dose appointment.
  

Yesterday, Vermont House Speaker Jill Krowinski and Pro Tem Becca Balint took to Zoom to hear from dozens of Addison County residents about their hopes and concerns for the future of our county. The below message summarizes the major themes they heard, with a strong emphasis on the need for affordable housing, child care, and workforce development:

We heard from close to 50 community members about what matters most, what you struggle with, and what you envision for the future of Addison County and Vermont.
 
We listened and took careful notes on your input. Here are just a few of the the insights we heard:
 

• You are proud of your communities for the way you’ve worked together and taken care of each other during the pandemic. For example, the Vergennes partnership brought businesses together in support of the community, and Middlebury celebrated the value of “helping thy neighbor” with a sense of inclusion and willingness to help those who live right next door.
  

 

• Your communities are really struggling with workforce issues. We heard about young families struggling to find child care and affordable housing necessary to stay in the workforce, about the storefront vacancies in downtown Middlebury, and your concerns that your grown children cannot stay in Vermont because there is a lack of professional jobs. Some of you don’t know where to turn to get with writing a resume and finding child care so that you can look for work. 

 

• You feel hopeful and, and you inspired us, with your ideas about how to seize this once in a lifetime opportunity to invest in Vermont’s future. You emphasized the necessity of broadband access so that all Vermont’s communities can thrive in our digital future, and the critical need for child care to support families coming to and staying in Vermont. You discussed innovative climate solutions that could lead to positive change across sectors by helping working people make modifications to their homes, generating energy and construction jobs, creating new affordable housing, and improving water quality and environmental health.

 
All this, and our listening tour has only just begun! We’ll combine your ideas with those that we collect from future regional conversations, from our online questionnaire, and through intentional outreach to individuals and groups who weren’t at the table. Before the Legislature convenes in January, we’ll conduct a careful analysis of ideas from all our conversations so that we can bring overarching themes and your insights to inform the Legislature’s policy and budgetary work. 
 
Please consider taking a next step to help us ensure we’re hearing the many voices of Vermonters:
 

• If you didn’t complete a demographic survey during yesterday’s meeting, please click here to enter your information anonymously. Your response will help ensure that we include many different perspectives and experiences during our conversations.

 

• Click here to sign up for future email updates about the Investing in Vermont's Future process.

 

• If you were unable to attend last night’s events, or would like to invite friends and neighbors to add their voices to the conversation, people can use  this link to share their thoughts through our online questionnaire. 

 

• If you are interested in helping set up an intentional conversation with a community or group not typically heard in the Legislative process, please reach out to cwesley@leg.state.vt.us and ckennedy@leg.state.vt.us. 

 
Together, we are seizing this once in a lifetime opportunity to make significant investments in the future of our state. Thank you for your important contribution!
 
Speaker Jill Krowinski & Pro Tem Becca Balint
Yesterday

Today ACCT released a report spearheaded by interns from the MiddWorks program demonstrating strong demand for affordable workforce housing in Addison County.

ACCT's July Board meeting will be held on 7/29/21 at 4pm in person at 109 Catamount Park in Middlebury. 

• Agenda
  

Do you have accounting skills and want to put them to good use at a growing mission-driven nonprofit as part of a collaborative finance team?  We have an immediate opening for an Accountant who will oversee a bookkeeper and report directly to the Finance Director.  The Accountant will be responsible for ACCT's internal financial reporting for our organizational finances as well as approximately two dozen affordable housing entities including multifamily apartment buildings and mobile home parks.  Primary responsibilities include cash disbursements, cash receipts, general ledger entries, and bank reconciliations.  

The ideal candidate will have 2-4 years of accounting experience and a Bachelor's degree in Accounting.  Must be detail oriented and capable of working independently and efficiently.  This position requires a high degree of comfort with technology including Excel and multiple accounting software programs.   The position may be required to work extra hours from time to time to meet financial statement and audit deadlines.

ACCT offers a competitive salary and benefit package including health insurance, fully paid dental insurance, paid time off, retirement matching contributions, and more.  Resume and cover letter should be submitted via email.  Position open until filled.  EEO.