Addison Housing Works Receives Nearly $2 Million to Preserve Affordable Homeownership at Hillside Manor

Addison Housing Works (AHW) is excited to announce that it has been awarded $1,978,125 from the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB) to support a major infrastructure improvement project at Hillside Manor, a 29-lot manufactured home community in Starksboro.

Originally developed in the 1960s, Hillside Manor has provided affordable homeownership opportunities to local families for decades. Along with AHW's other manufactured housing communities in town, these neighborhoods make up roughly one in five housing units in Starksboro and provide an affordable housing option in a rural community where housing opportunities are limited.

Engineering studies completed in 2023 identified significant infrastructure challenges in this community that severely impact homeowners and properties at large, from aging waterlines vulnerable to leaks and freezing, inadequate drainage, and outdated septic systems. The funding will allow AHW to improve and replace much of the community's aging infrastructure, including drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, and roadway systems that have reached the end of their useful life.

"This investment is transformative for Hillside Manor and for the families who call it home," said Elise Shanbacker, Executive Director of Addison Housing Works. "Residents have dealt with recurring water and wastewater failures, freezing lines, drainage problems, and infrastructure that simply cannot continue to function safely without major reinvestment. VHCB's support allows us to move forward with a project that will preserve this important affordable housing community for decades to come."
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AHW is grateful to the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board for its continued partnership and investment in preserving affordable housing throughout Addison County.