{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-sanders-welch-vermont-nets-350000-for-housing-condition-improvements", "Leahy, Sanders, Welch: Vermont Nets $350,000 For Housing Condition Improvements", "2013-11-14", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "VT", "Patrick Leahy", "L000174", "www.leahy.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "11.14.13\n\t\t\t Leahy, Sanders, Welch: Vermont Nets $350,000 For Housing Condition Improvements \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tU.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and U.S. Representative Peter Welch (D-Vt.) Thursday announced $350,000 in grants awarded to four organizations across Vermont to improve housing conditions for limited income rural residents.\r\nNearly $300,000 of the grants were designated to the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont \u2013 Caledonia, Essex and Orleans Counties \u2013 as a Rural Economic Area Partnership (REAP) Zone, a USDA Rural Development designation recognizing the unique rural nature of a region that prioritizes the regions\u2019 grant applications.\u00a0\r\nIn a joint statement, Leahy, Sanders and Welch said: \u00a0\u00a0\u201cThese lifeline investments in housing improvements will make lives and communities better. \u00a0The Northeast Kingdom\u2019s REAP Zone standing is the key to three of these grants.\u00a0 \u00a0Again and again, the NEK\u2019s REAP Zone has been a catalyst for growth, for progress and for helping to build a durable rural economy.\u00a0 It\u2019s a program that works, and it deserves to be renewed in the pending Farm Bill.\u201d\r\nIn the 2013 Senate Farm Bill, Leahy fought to continue the REAP Zone authorization that has been so successful in establishing collaborative and citizen-led efforts to enhance economic development. \u00a0As the senior most member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and a conferee in the 2013 Farm Bill conference, Leahy will continue to fight for a balanced Farm Bill that preserves the REAP Zone authorization. \u00a0\r\nThe grants are part of the $3.8 million released by the United States Department of Agriculture\u2019s Rural Development\u2019s Housing Preservation Grant program Tuesday.\u00a0 Vermont\u2019s allocation of nearly 9 percent of the total grant awards make it the second largest recipient in the country and will be used to make general repairs, energy and weatherization improvements and code updates to more than 130 households in Vermont.\r\nThe grant recipients are listed below:\r\nVermont Center for Independent Living:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0$100,000 for repair and code compliance of very low income homes\r\nSoutheastern Vermont Community Action Program: $50,000 to resolve serious health and safety issues and weatherization\r\nRural Edge:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0$100,000\u00a0 for repair\u00a0 and compliance to housing standards\r\nNortheast Employment and Training Organization:\u00a0\u00a0 $100,000 for repair, weatherization and compliance to housing\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0standards\r\n####\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t Press Contact \n\t\t\t\tPress Contact  David Carle: 202-224-3693\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\t\n\t\n\t\n  \n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/leahy-sanders-welch-vermont-nets-350000-for-housing-condition-improvements"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.456563826650381, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}