Twin Pines Housing Trust -- FAQ

Twin Pines is the major non-profit housing developer in the Upper Valley that builds and renovates affordable multi-family apartments, single-family homes and mobile home parks. We provide housing for low and moderate-income families and individuals because there are very few, if any, housing choices for these families in the Upper Valley. We have been in operation since 1990 and serve northern Windsor County and southeastern Orange County in Vermont, and southern Grafton County and northern Sullivan County in New Hampshire. We have created and maintained 189 housing units and are developing more housing in the Upper Valley.

Generally, affordable housing includes apartments or homes for which monthly payments are less than 30 % of a person or family's income.

I saw an article on a housing development in Hanover; are you a part of that? And, if so where are you in the planning stages?

This is our newest development, Gile Hill. The community will consist of 120 new apartments and condominiums in 12 buildings on a wooded 21-acre site. This beautiful tract of land was donated by the Town of Hanover following a Town Meeting vote in 2003 as a significant way to respond to the critical need for reasonably priced housing in the Upper Valley region. Gile Hill is an innovatively designed, environmentally sensitive and energy-efficient community, close to downtown Hanover, the Centerra Business Park and the abutting Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. The first ten buildings have been completed; two final buildings remain to be constructed in phase III, with construction potentially beginning in 2012.

Gile Hill is being developed by Twin Pines Housing Trust and The Hartland Group. For more information, go to www.gilehill.com.

How can I find out more information about renting or homeownership opportunities?

Our property managers know what units are available and the income qualifications; if units are not available, they can put you on a wait-list and contact you when one becomes available. We have rental properties for individuals, couples, and families in both Vermont and New Hampshire. The contact numbers are as follows:

Twin Pines Housing Trust, (802) 291-7000, for properties in Lebanon and Enfield, NH, and Hartford, VT

Maloney Associates, (603) 809-1044, for Gile Hill in Hanover, NH

Vermont State Housing Authority (802) 828-3295 for Hollow Drive in Wilder, VT

We also provide a gateway to homeownership opportunities; these become available less frequently. To give you an idea as to the income qualifications, contact Helen Hong, our Homeownership Coordinator. All homeownership opportunities are related to covenants that provide for ongoing or perpetual affordability for all buyers and sellers. When you sell your home, your gain is limited so that the house remains affordable for the next family.

How do you choose your developments or projects?

In our service area, we develop and build new housing units in scale to the surrounding community on available land that engineers deem suitable. We study zoning and density guidelines for the area and work with towns and neighbors in the planning process. We might also renovate older buildings refitting them for apartments or single-family homes if we can do so cost-effectively while still being able to provide for affordable rents or purchase prices.

Where do you get most of your funding from?

State and Federally funded grants and low interest loans, rental fees, individual/corporate donations, and foundation grants.

Why is housing a problem in the Upper Valley?

The Upper Valley has the lowest unemployment rate in its history. The Vermont portion of the Upper Valley has the lowest unemployment rate in the state. Because of the low unemployment, area vacancy rates are extremely low at 1 to 2% (normal is 5-10%) and therefore rental prices can be increased based on demand. Also there is a decrease in the number of rental or sale homes in the area. The housing wage in Windsor County is $13.42 and in both Vermont and New Hampshire, you have to make a MINIMUM of $16.00 per hour to afford any housing- this means that to live in the Upper Valley without paying more than 30% of your salary towards housing, you have to make more than twice the minimum wage or more. This forces many workers in the area to commute more than thirty miles from home, decreasing their time in their communities and with their families and at work, and providing for less diversity and vitality in our Upper Valley communities caused by economic "sameness."

How is Twin Pines organized?

Twin Pines is overseen by a volunteer Board of Trustees (all community members of the Upper Valley), and is run by a staff of five full-time employees, and three part-time employees.

What is the biggest challenge facing Twin Pines and housing in the Upper Valley? The biggest challenge facing Twin Pines and affordable housing in the Upper Valley is based on high land prices, restrictive zoning and density issues and therefore, our ability to identify developable, affordable housing sites. The challenge to Twin Pines is to make sure that we can still provide affordable rents or home prices while being able to maintain ageing properties and developing a staff to meet these challenges.

Do you work with other local non-profits or government agencies?

We have worked on collaborative projects with several public agencies in both states such as the Vermont State Housing Authority, Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, Housing Vermont and the Vermont and New Hampshire Housing Finance Authorities as well as the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority and the New Hampshire and Vermont Community Loan Funds. We have also collaborated with local social service agencies such as LISTEN, the Upper Valley Haven, WISE, Headrest, Hannah House, Casey Family Services and mental health agencies in both states on supportive or transitional housing units in the Upper Valley. We work with COVER and the Upper Valley and Dartmouth College Habitat for Humanity chapters on developing housing and with RSVP and area school and college volunteers. We also are collaborating with the Upper Valley Housing Coalition/Vital Communities in pushing housing advocacy and education in the area.

Aside from cash donations, what kinds of help does your organization need?

We are always looking for support from the community.

We look for motivated, self-starting volunteers interested in helping do small maintenance, gardening, light office work to help us sustain our properties and for volunteers to help us continue to seek additional funding sources.

We are always looking for professionals to donate their time to our residents in the form of educational workshops or presentations. Some programs we have had in the past and some we would like to include in the future are: Conflict Resolution, Finance Management, Resume Building, Parenting Skills, Home Life Skills.

Affordable rents do not allow for small amenities that would improve the living environment of our tenants. Here are a few items that we would like for support of our projects:

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions