We had a busy fall at ACCT and can hardly believe December is upon us already! We broke ground at Vergennes Community Housing, co-sponsored a successful and informative hoarding workshop by John Graham Shelter and the Hoarding Task Force along with CSAC and Northern Daughters Art Gallery, and leased up half a dozen new families and individuals, including several who were recently homeless and now have permanent housing! Check out these stories and more on the blog.
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Your Gift Matters! We have been creating affordable housing and conserving land for 30 years. Our mission is to ensure that residents of Addison County have access to a solid foundation: a safe, affordable place to call home. As of 2019, ACCT owns and operates almost 700 units of permanently affordable housing, with more homes on the way! We do so in five key areas: · Property management for 274 multifamily apartments; · Operation of 340 lots in nine nonprofit ACCT-owned parks for owner-occupied mobile homes; · Down-payment grants for first-time home-buyers and stewardship of 78 homes currently in our perpetually affordable single-family ownership program; · Providing "Support and Services at Home" through the SASH program for up to 200 residents of ACCT senior housing & in surrounding communities; · Developing new units to help alleviate the county's affordability crisis, including 24 brand-new, energy efficient, modern apartments at Vergennes Community Housing that will be available in 2020. This year, ACCT celebrated our 30th Anniversary at our Sip to Support!! The local community came out to support us in spades, raising around $8,000 for affordable housing. We couldn't be more grateful. Help us continue to provide affordable housing for the next 30 years. Your gift helps keep rent affordable and makes it possible for over 600 families to live and work right here in Addison County. We gratefully accept donations of any size, and ask that you consider making a tax-deductible donation of $1, $2, or even $10 for every year you've had a roof over your head. You can donate online at www.addisontrust.org/donate, or send us a check at PO Box 311, Vergennes, VT 05491. Thank you! At ACCT, our motto is "it all starts with a home."  Please see below for a pair of opportunities from community partners that might be useful to ACCT residents and/or applicants:
Homeward Bound's Pets in Crisis Program: Homeward Bound recently received a year's worth of grant funding for Pets in Crisis, a program that offers free temporary boarding and basic medical care to pets of people who are experiencing unexpected homelessness. More info is available at https://www.homewardboundanimals.org/programs-services/pets-in-crisis/, or call the shelter at 802-388-1100, ext 222 for Jess. Job Corps Seeking to Enroll Young Women in Education and Training: We are conducting a state wide campaign for young women to attend the Job Corps program and take advantage of this wonderful, no cost opportunity. We’re looking for your help and support. Job Corps is a tuition-free trade education program for young adults who are out of school and interested in beginning a career path into long term employment. Job Corps students receive all meals, on campus housing and basic healthcare at no cost. Job Corps is also able to provide students with driver’s licenses, high school diplomas, work-based learning experiences, apprenticeships and a college opportunity. Upon completion of the program, graduates enter the world of work (with the help of a career transition counselor), continue with college, enlist in the military or pursue advanced training opportunities through Job Corps. Northlands Job Corps offers careers in Culinary Arts, Office Administration, Clinical Medical Assistant, Building Construction Technology (which encompasses electrical, plumbing, carpentry and solar panel competencies), Auto Tech (maintenance and light repair), Welding, Urban Forestry and Carpentry. All Job Corps trade certifications are nationally recognized. We encourage all young women to explore non-traditional vocations! In addition to a career opportunity, students, once completed with their on-center program, may attend CCV, at no charge and continue in the Job Corps program. Students can live on our campus in Vergennes, VT or can be a daily commuter student. We provide transportation within a 25 mile radius of Vergennes, which is ideal for women with children or who are employed and want to keep their job and still attend Job Corps. We offer center tours twice a month for any interested candidates. The next CENTER TOURS will be held on August 26th and September 9th, beginning at 10:00am. Please call for more information. We are seeking self-motivated young women, between the ages of 16 and 24, who meet our income eligibility standards, respond well to supervision, have no open court cases, will do well living in a dormitory with other students or who can handle the rigor of daily commute. (Please bear in mind that all enrollees are required to pass a drug test upon arrival on center.) If you know a young women who could benefit from the Job Corps program, please contact our Outreach and Admissions Manager, Sue Clark, at 802-877-0110. We would be happy to provide more information, conduct a presentation to you and your organization, or provide a tour of our campus. Sip to Support Housing 2019: Announcing Our Amazing Silent Auction Donors and In-Kind Supporters!8/7/2019 Sip to Support 2019 promises to be another spirited and rewarding evening thanks to dozens of local businesses rallying to the cause with donations for our silent auction and getaway raffles!
Silent Auction Donors: 3 Squares Cafe, April Cornell, Bees Wrap, Blue Ledge Farm, Bobcat Café, Cabot Creamery, Champlain Apiaries, Crocodile Crane, Daily Chocolate, Fat Toad Farm, Kestrel Coffee Roasters, Malabar, Maple Landmark, Michelle Caniyo, Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op, Ralph Myhre Golf Course, Red Mill Restaurant, Sandra Bonomo, SASH, Sharon and Steven Dauz, The Shelburne Museum, Vermonster Under the Bed, The Vermont Book Shop, The Vermont Flannel Company, Vermont Teddy Bear Refreshments: Almost Home Market, American Flatbread, Champlain Valley Creamery In-Kind Donors: The Little Pressroom, Stonecutter Spirits We at ACCT are awed by the generosity of our community and so grateful for the support of so many community members who want to help make sure everyone in Addison County has access to a quality, affordable home...
THANK YOU! This month, the VT Department of Housing and Community Development launched an initiative, Zoning for Great Neighborhoods, aimed at breaking down municipal barriers to affordable housing. To kick off the initiative, DHCD surveyed stakeholders across the state about their views on what barriers are most critical in impeding housing development. DHCD recently released the results of this survey, which indicated that while municipal zoning is a factor, the high cost of land and construction are the primary drivers of our inability to deliver enough affordable housing to meet demand. The Executive Summary of the report is available here.
Vergennes Community Housing receives funding awards to move forward, ACCT holds its Annual Meeting, and staff get muddy on Green Up Day! It's been a busy spring at ACCT. In development news, Vergennes Community Housing received two major funding awards that will allow it to break ground later this year and open in 2020. In early April, the Vermont Community Development Program awarded $400,000 to the City of Vergennes to be put toward the project. Several weeks later, Vermont Housing Finance Agency made Vergennes Community Housing a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit award that will result in over $4 million in equity for the project. These awards build on funding of over $2 million already allocated by the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, including Housing Revenue Bond funds that will allow for the creation of seven market-rate units serving households making up to 120% of Area Median Income (AMI), in addition to the 17 apartments for households making less than 60% of AMI. Vergennes Community Housing will bring much-needed affordable housing to downtown Vergennes, which has a 0% vacancy rate and average rents of around $1200 according to Craigslist data. For more details on the project, check out this Info Sheet.  Annual Meeting: ACCT held its Annual Meeting on April 30th at the Middlebury Inn. The Board elected new and returning members, and a presentation of the 2018 Annual Report was made. ACCT Greens Up: ACCT celebrated Green Up Day on Friday, May 10, despite the rain. Intrepid staff members groomed the parking lot and cleaned up the landscaping around our office, while a small team was dispatched to 14 S Maple St to build raised bed community gardens for the residents.  Upcoming Events: For those who want to join in our efforts, we have a couple of events open to the public this summer:
ACCT will hold its 2019 Annual Meeting at the Middlebury Inn on April 30th at 4pm with a light reception to follow from 5-6. For more information and the agenda, please visit www.addisontrust.org/annual-meeting. The meeting will include a presentation of our 2018 Annual Report. In the meantime, we're happy to share a summary of our 2018 Highlights. Hope to see you on the 30th! Did you know April is child abuse prevention month? To mark the occasion, DCF is sharing the below resources that can help support stronger families:
In April and throughout the year, we encourage communities, individuals and organizations to play a role in making Vermont a place where children are safe and families thrive. We can all do our part to support parents, strengthen families and help prevent child abuse!
Follow the links below to learn about specific programs and services. HELP PAYING FOR CHILD CARE: If your family needs child care and you meet income guidelines, you may qualify. A family of four can earn up to $6,275 per month and qualify. https://dcf.vermont.gov/benefits/ccfap HELP PUTTING FOOD ON YOUR TABLE: If you meet income guidelines, you may be eligible for a monthly benefit you can use to buy food and your school-age children may qualify for free meals at school. https://dcf.vermont.gov/benefits/3SquaresVT HELP FINDING A GOOD PAYING JOB: - If you get 3SquaresVT, you qualify for help through the Individual Career Advancement Network (ICAN). This includes help to conduct job searches, connect to employers who are hiring, enhance your job finding skills and more. https://dcf.vermont.gov/benefits/ICAN - If you are the custodial parent or guardian of a child under 14, you may be eligible for help finding a good paying job in Vermont's manufacturing sector through the Strengthening Working Families Initiative (SWFI). https://dcf.vermont.gov/dcf-blog/4/8/19 HELP WITH CHILD SUPPORT: The Office of Child Support can help you get and pay child support, get a court order updated if things change and help make sure the court order is doable and fair. We can also help you find and keep a good paying job so you can meet your child support obligations. Services are free if you apply! Get an application at https://dcf.vermont.gov/ocs/parents/application or by calling 1-800-786-3214. BEING THE BEST PARENT YOU CAN BE INVOLVES TAKING STEPS TO STRENGTHEN YOUR FAMILY AND FINDING SUPPORT WHEN YOU NEED IT. YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT ALONE! |
AuthorACCT staff members share news and information about upcoming events. Archives
February 2020
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