If you were taking a country drive toward Vermont's Route 5, a highway that traces the path of the Connecticut River, you'd have to choose your direction. Would you go south toward Bellows Falls? Or drive north instead? 

In Vermont, the stereotype you hear about independence and self-sufficiency often holds true, says Dawn Cross, HomeOwnership Center director and the sole housing counselor at Rural Edge. As a result, the people who walk through her door needing housing help often wait until they've exhausted every possible resource. "They go into credit card debt. They empty their savings. And when people come knocking on the door to shut off the lights or take the house away, that's when they finally look for help." 

In Vermont, the stereotype you hear about independence and self-sufficiency often holds true, says Dawn Cross, HomeOwnership Center director and the sole housing counselor at Rural Edge. As a result, the people who walk through her door needing housing help often wait until they've exhausted every possible resource. "They go into credit card debt. They empty their savings. And when people come knocking on the door to shut off the lights or take the house away, that's when they finally look for help." 

One of the most effective ways NeighborWorks America's financial counselors help clients at NeighborWorks network organizations is by playing matchmaker. They identify the programs that can best lead their clients toward financial stability and independence. Programs like rent reporting to build credit and incentivized savings can make a real difference, says Molly Barackman-Eder, director of financial capability at NeighborWorks America. Those programs can be found throughout the NeighborWorks network.

On Track in Vermont

Brenda Torpy, CEO of Champlain Housing Trust, may be leaving her post, but she isn't exactly retiring. Torpy, director of the Burlington Community Land Trust since 1991, before it merged with Lake Champlain Housing Development Corp., will serve as lead consultant for Champlain Housing Trust's new Technical Assistance Arm, TA/CHT, providing training and support services.
 

When Windham & Windsor Housing Trust, a NeighborWorks organization in Brattleboro, Vermont, says "home for the holidays," they mean it quite literally. The organization has two projects, put together with funding from the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and a $59,000 grant from NeighborWorks America. Organizations must use CARES Act funding by the end of the year, which means that the new homes will be ready for the winter holidays.
 

Brenda M. Torpy, founder and chief executive officer of Vermont's Champlain Housing Trust (CHT), a NeighborWorks organization in Burlington, contributed an essay to the newly released book, "On Common Ground: International Perspectives on the Community Land Trust." Torpy shared thoughts about her work on the book and about the way community land trusts offer a creative affordable housing solution.

NeighborWorks Week, held this month during a fight for racial equity and a virus that caused neighbors to remain distant from one another, looked different than usual. But the celebration of neighborhoods and what makes them strong continued at many network organizations. Some organizations made their events virtual. Others postponed them to focus on their communities in other ways. And in some places, residents got outside to focus on the neighborhoods they call home.

As COVID-19 continues to spread, NeighborWorks network organizations continue to connect with community members and to take measures to try to ensure their safety. Here's a look at what organizations are doing in Vermont and Missouri.