A Brief History of Shires Housing of Southwestern Vermont
1989-2020
Shires Housing, previously the Regional Affordable Housing Corp (RAHC), was founded in 1989 in response to a crisis. The region lacked housing, and the housing that was available was aging and not affordable for working families.
By 1999, just ten years, Shires had rehabbed 108 apartments for affordable housing in existing buildings that were in need of repair and upgrades. To meet the significant need, Shires expanded into the Northshire with the creation of the Manchester Knoll housing development, converted Cora B. Whitney Elementary School into senior housing, and opened a new office at Downtown Crossing in Bennington.
In 2011, Shires was designated the regional housing organization to partner with Support and Services at Home (SASH) in 2011. This greatly enhanced necessary services for many Shires residents and improved their quality of life tremendously. This relationship now stretches into Windham County where Shires oversees the SASH program in Wilmington and Dover.
In 2012, Shires completed the Roaring Branch scattered site development consisting of 14 new units on Roaring Branch Lane and 12 rehabilitated units on Benmont Avenue. This, in addition to smaller rehab projects in Bennington and Arlington, brought the total number of units to 232 in 2012.
In 2013, RAHC officially became Shires Housing of Southwestern Vermont to better embrace the regional footprint of the organization. Continuing to focus on rehabbing buildings in disrepair, Shires completed the Bennington Historic Rehab in 2016. This was a huge undertaking that included work on 26 rental units in buildings across six properties, all constructed before 1900.
Over the past four years, Shires has grown under new leadership and with the addition of several staff positions. In 2017, Shires took over management of the 104 units at Applegate Apartments and completed a massive energy rehab project, while interior renovations continue still. Meanwhile, Shires built 8 condominiums in Manchester with substantial support for first-time homebuyers. As well, Shires completed the Battenkill North Rehab, which refurbished the Bradford Hose and Stark Hose former Bennington fire stations and “Brick Row” former artist residences of Shaftsbury. In 2019, Shires added 24 new units in Bennington at Monument View, an in-fill development of town houses and small apartment buildings. A similar new construction development, Lake Paran Village, added another 22 units to Shaftsbury, abutting the Village of North Bennington, in the fall of 2020.
We completed a 27-unit rehab project on Depot Street in Bennington and at Torrey Knoll in Manchester in 2021, and have recently completed the rehab and retrofit of 9 units for Transitional Family Housing for the Bennington County Coalition for the Homeless. Currently our development team is working to add four zero-energy modular homes along with sitework at the Willows Mobile Home Park, also in Bennington, this summer/fall along with building two recovery residences to support long-term recovery from the epidemic of substance use disorder.
Shires has grown to be a leader in the region where housing remains an issue, working closely with partner organizations such as the Bennington County Coalition for the Homeless, NeighborWorks of Western Vermont, and Bennington Housing Authority. Currently, Shires manages nearly 300 units, in addition to overseeing Orchard Village Apartments (formerly Applegate Apartments) as co-owner. Shires Housing’s SASH team now serves roughly 450 participants while Shires has also greatly increased resident and family services by providing a food shelf, community gardens, and other programming. There is much more work to be done, but with a dedicated staff and engaged community the future is bright.