The Art of Community Revitalization in Vermont
Economic challenges in Vermont in the mid-1980s jolted land conservationists,
farmers, housing activists, and historic preservationists into
action. They joined forces to create a new state-funded trust
for land conservation, preservation of historic resources, and
the creation of affordable housing. This trust fund, and the enduring
vision behind it, spurred the growth of a nonprofit affordable
housing and land conservation movement that is still going strong.
Today, a network of five NeighborWorks® organizations and
six HomeOwnership Centers™ serve the entire state.
These NeighborWorks organizations employ innovative tools in
their quest of revitalizing Vermont communities. The Rockingham
Community Land Trust, for example, renovated two 19th-century
buildings in Bellows Falls, Vt., creating a mix of new commercial
space, apartments, and space in which artists can work or live.
In Newport, Vt., an apartment rehab by Gilman Housing Trust provided
an affordable home for a recovering addict as she rebuilt her
life and became a community leader.
Read
more about the NeighborWorks organizations in Vermont that
are reinvesting in local communities and assisting low- and moderate-income
residents in saving for and purchasing homes. [Article from Bright
Ideas, Spring 2004, PDF]
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