Vermont Housing and Conservation Board

**About VHCB** **Our Mission** VHCB invests in the construction of affordable housing and conservation strategies that work together to ensure equity, resilience, and vitality for Vermont communities in perpetuity. **Our History** In the mid-1980s, a rapid rise in housing prices and an increase in the pace of development threatened the rural character and historic settlement patterns of Vermont. As a result, in 1986, a coalition of affordable housing, conservation, and historic preservation advocates approached the state legislature with a plan to form a unique agency that would review and fund projects to address a range of community needs. In response, the Legislature passed the Vermont Housing and Conservation Trust Fund Act in 1987. The newly created Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, or VHCB, was charged with a dual goal mission: to create permanently affordable housing and conserve and protect Vermont’s agricultural, forest, recreational, and natural lands, as well as historic properties. Since our founding, we have remained true to this mission by supporting projects that benefit Vermont communities in perpetuity, guided by our core values: equity and access, affordability and economic vitality, environmental sustainability and resilience, and quality of life.