MORRISTOWN, Vt. (WCAX) – Two Vermont housing organizations are considering a merger. The nonprofit Lamoille Housing Partnership and Downstreet Housing and Community Development are looking into becoming one.
The Lamoille Housing Partnership says the organization is low on staffing and it needs more help.
Downstreet creates permanently affordable homes and connects people with resources and services affiliated with housing needs, much like Lamoille Housing.
Lamoille Housing hopes Downstreet can help them cover their service area and initiate more housing developments in the future.
“We are really excited about what this could mean for Lamoille County. The reason we are doing it is because we believe that it is a way to move our mission forward more effectively. That it will simply be more of a benefit for the people in our region,” said Lucy Leriche, the executive director of the Lamoille Housing Partnership.
Officials say the organization also plans to transfer some of its Hardwick properties to RuralEdge, which develops affordable housing in the Northeast Kingdom.
Meanwhile, Downstreet Housing announced on Monday it received $8 million from the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board to purchase and renovate the Quality Inn in Barre to create a hotel for homeless individuals and families.