Investing for Home Creation
Thursday, April 8, 5:30 pm
The Upper Valley faces a shortage of housing, particularly in the lower-cost sector, that’s affecting our ability to be a vibrant, equitable community. This session discussed how even small investments can help address this shortage and bring about financial, social, and environmental rewards: more diverse, full-service communities, more homes closer to workplaces and served by mass transit, and a more stable workforce for employers.
Our team of expert presenters was:
- Ken Wells, Chief Retail Lending Officer, Mascoma Bank, on how local banking creates local homes
- Jennifer Hopkins, director of Single-Family Housing at NH Community Loan Fund, on current projects that are creating more affordable places to live
- Will Belongia, director of VT Community Loan Fund, on how individuals can get tax credit for participating in home creation
- Jen Risley, manager of The Local Crowd Monadnock, on crowdfunding projects that are creating homes.
If you are ready to take action, or have more questions, here are the people to contact:
- Mascoma Bank – Ken Wells Ken.wells@mascomabank.com
- VT Community Loan Fund – Jake Ide jake@vclf.org or Will Belongia will@vclf.org
- NH Community Loan Fund – Jen Hopkins jhopkins@communityloanfund.org or Josh Sattely jsattely@communityloanfund.org
- The Local Crowd – Jen Risley jen@thelocalcrowd.com
Here is a link to the slides the presenters shared.
You can also check out impacts in these reports:
- Mascoma – https://mascomaimpact.com/
- VT CLF – https://www.investinvermont.
org//publications/ vclf2020socialimpactreport.pdf - NH CLF – https://communityloanfund.org/
impact/map/ - TLC – https://tlcmonadnock.com/
TLCNews/9815865
In the chat, Matthew Dow mentioned that his company, MTD Building, is working on renovating low-cost apartments in Canaan. If you would like to learn more about that, you can reach Matt at mdow@mtdbuilding.com or business partner Holly West at hspwest@icloud.com.
Additional Local Investing Resources
- Sign up to receive weekly focus pieces through April on different aspects of local investment —lively, informative companion pieces to the programs!
- Check out our new “Invest Local” page crammed with great resources on this topic!
The local investment materials and events offered by Vital Communities are educational in nature and should not be construed as specific legal, accounting, or investment recommendations.