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NeighborWorks homebuyer education serves 850 Vermonters; programs face $500K deficit, group asks state support
Summary
Chris Donnelly of Champlain Housing Trust told the House Committee on General & Housing that NeighborWorks homebuyer education centers served about 850 Vermonters last year, provide an eight‑hour HUD‑certified course and follow‑up counseling, and are seeking state funding to cover a roughly $500,000 operating deficit.
Chris Donnelly of the Champlain Housing Trust told the House Committee on General & Housing on Feb. 19 that the NeighborWorks network of five Vermont homeownership centers provided homebuyer education and counseling to roughly 850 Vermonters in the past year and is asking the legislature for ongoing support to sustain the program.
Donnelly described the program as an eight‑hour homebuyer education course followed by one‑on‑one counseling. "All of our counselors in these programs are HUD certified," he said. The centers offer classes in person and online, include local experts such as mortgage lenders and home inspectors, provide interpretation in multiple languages and issue a certificate that some lenders or closing programs recognize.
Donnelly said the network’s client services are not means tested and that counseling continues after purchase; clients can return for help if they experience difficulty. He recounted research showing participants are less likely to enter foreclosure when they receive pre‑purchase education and said such counseling is particularly valuable as interest rates rise and federal consumer protections change.
On funding, Donnelly said the network currently relies on charitable dollars and grants and faces an operating deficit of about $500,000 to maintain ongoing services. "Collectively, we have about in about a half a million dollar deficit in our program to offer these services," he told the committee. Donnelly offered to provide proposed language and an amount for the committee’s consideration and said some programs — such as shared‑equity homeownership and manufactured‑home loan programs — require counseling as part of closing.
No committee vote was recorded during the testimony. Donnelly asked the committee to consider base funding so the program can be sustained as the state invests in homeownership development.
