Letter from the CEO
For an organization, a year in many respects is a point in time between the past and the future. A chance to reflect and peek ahead. This year – especially this year, as we’ve endured a pandemic of historic proportions – we feel an annual report demands more context.
Perhaps it’s that we’ve endured so much collectively, perhaps it’s because we’ve all experienced a variety of losses. At CHT we have lost founders and leaders that shaped our organization over decades past and will for decades to come. We also embarked on a leadership transition that we know will be at the same time transformational and consistent with our mission.
CHT’s staff are my heroes. They’re on the front line keeping our residents safe. We were one of the first to publicly require vaccinations, and soon all will have a booster shot, too. We owe that to the people we serve and for each other.
It’s been an historic year for other reasons. In September, the New England Federal Credit Union committed $3 million over three years to support our work to address racial equity in homeownership. This gift is humbling, and we are thankful to do this work. In the middle of this report, you’ll see Butternut Grove, where we have put a portion of this gift into action. Our Board continues to press and lead in our commitment to racial justice and equity.
We are also grateful for the confidence the State of Vermont and the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board has in our work. Among the State’s supported projects are:
- Our Covid-19 isolation and quarantine motel has served over 500 people since September 2020
- Susan’s Place, new apartments in Essex, has been occupied for a year, as has Steps to End Domestic Violence’s new shelter in Colchester. Combined they’ve served hundreds of households.
- TownePlace Suites in Williston will be turned into Zephyr Place, apartments for people of a range of incomes with a focus on homelessness.
- The Days Inn in Shelburne will be a replacement for Harbor Place, which has served thousands since it first opened in 2013. The Harbor Place property will redeveloped into nearly 100 affordable homes, both for rent and for sale.
- Our Loan Fund has helped bring apartments in need of repair back into the market, adding to the housing stock to relieve homelessness.
There is much more work on the horizon – almost 100 apartments in two locations in Colchester, supporting CVOEO and Samaritan House in St. Albans with new transitional housing and a safe shelter, supporting the VFW in Burlington to redevelop their property to include housing for homeless vets, a new health facility with the Community Health Centers of Burlington and reimagining of the O’Brien Center in Winooski – in all, we are in different stages of development for 500 apartments and 200 new homes for sale.
It’s been a remarkable year. We couldn’t do any of this work without the support of this community.
I am personally in awe, always, in the work and resiliency of the organization.
Michael Monte, Chief Executive Officer