NeighborWorks Alliance of Vermont uses technology to build network

A grant made in the fall of 2011 following Tropical Storm Irene to strengthen and support five regional housing nonprofits working together as the NeighborWorks Alliance of Vermont is creating video conferencing capacity, the groups announced today. The $200,000 grant made by NeighborWorks America is also helping the organizations collaborate more effectively, be better able to deliver services statewide, assist in the ongoing needs of Vermonters affected by flooding and be prepared for responding to future disasters.
The announcement was made during NeighborWorks Week, an annual campaign by NeighborWorks America and its network of more than 240 local organizations mobilize tens of thousands of volunteers, businesspeople, neighbors, friends, and local and national elected and civic leaders in a week of neighborhood change and awareness.
The five housing groups ‘Champlain Housing Trust, RuralEdge, Central Vermont Community Land Trust, NeighborWorks of Western Vermont and Windham & Windsor Housing Trust ‘cover the entire state with home buyer education, financial literacy, credit counseling, home rehabilitation, disaster recovery and other programs. They are chartered members of NeighborWorks America and operate NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Centers.
‘The support that NeighborWorks America provided in the wake of Irene was so critical,’Connie Snow, executive director of Windham & Windsor Housing Trust in Brattleboro said. ‘They also had the foresight to encourage our future planning and efforts to build a network ready to respond if something like this ever happens again.’
‘It’s fitting that we’re unveiling the first of the video conferencing systems during NeighborWorks Week this year,’added Brenda Torpy, CEO of Champlain Housing Trust. ‘The staff is getting trained and we look forward to increasing our ability to collectively respond to the state’s housing needs.’
The five organizations have worked closely together for years, but have stepped up their partnerships to deliver services statewide more efficiently than before. For example, some disaster funds received by the State of Vermont have been allocated to RuralEdge in Lyndonville to assist those affected by the flooding that are working with the other HomeOwnership Centers in other regions of the state. This reduces the administrative costs of the program.
Similarly, state resources have been dedicated to the Champlain Housing Trust to provide affordable financing and assistance to mobile homeowners seeking to replace their damaged or old homes with a new or newer manufactured home.
The funding from NeighborWorks America has supported the capacity of the organizations to carry out these programs collectively. Additional funds are currently being sought to deepen the work of the NeighborWorks Alliance of Vermont organizations and better serve the needs of low- and moderate-income Vermonters.
For more information about the Alliance or for media inquiries to schedule a demonstration of the video conferencing technology in operation, contact Chris Donnelly at the Champlain Housing Trust at 861-7305.