DHCD outlines expansion of VHIP, scattered‑site repairs and manufactured‑home grants

Alex Farrell, commissioner of the Department of Housing and Community Development, told the House Human Services committee on Oct. 12 that the department has repositioned to add more direct unit production, rapid rehousing tools and targeted repairs for vulnerable homeowners.

Farrell said the department still manages the Vermont Community Development Program and federal Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), but those allocations (about $6–7 million annually) remain far smaller than what the state and housing partners have spent on production since 2021. "Don't feel like you need to look at all of those attachments, please," Farrell said, offering the committee written materials as reference.

Why it matters: Vermont's rental vacancy rate has fallen below commonly accepted healthy levels and homelessness rose sharply during that period, Farrell said. The department has used pandemic and recovery dollars to expand programs that quickly convert existing, underused housing into places to rehouse people and to shore up owner‑occupied units at risk of loss.

Most of Farrell's remarks focused on VHIP, a rapid response program that the department has funded with a mix of federal relief, ARPA dollars and, most recently,…