Normal Free Television May End on Feb. 17th - What Can You Do?

February 17th may be a sad day.... If you receive your television signal from either a "rabbit ears" or another type of indoor or outdoor antenna and you want to continue using your antenna (and get "free" TV), then you will need a digital converter box connected to the older analog television set you use. Click here to learn about the US Government's Converter Box Coupon Program. We suggest you request your coupons now, as supplies are limited. Note: Coupon applications are now wait-listed. Once you purchase your converter box, connect it right away, so you can tell if you are receiving digital channels successfully.

It may take several weeks to get your $40 converter box coupon. Check with your friends, neighbors or volunteers and ask if they have a extra $40 converter box coupon - they probably got 2 coupons if they requested coupons a few weeks ago.

You may also need a new antenna to receive the new digital signals. In Burlington and Winooski the best type of antenna to use may be a "directional" TV antenna such as the Phillips PH-DTV1

All stores in the Burlington area were sold out of directional antennas this week!! You may need to order the antenna online using your bank ATM- debit card. You can check the prices HERE.

Online prices are usually lower than local prices, although you will have to pay for shipping charges.

The cheapest DTV converter boxes sold in the Burlington area were available this week at RITE-AID drug stores and at Best Buy in Williston. These stores were selling some boxes for $49 each. If you have a $40 coupon, then your cost will be about $12.99 if purchased in Burlington ($49.99 x 6% sales tax - $40 coupon = $12.99).

The Food Stamp Program Has Improved - Try Again!!

The Vermont Food Stamp Program has a new "nickname" - 3SquaresVT - and now the program allows you to qualify with higher income levels!

Vermont raised the Food Stamp (3SquaresVT) income limits to give more Vermonters access to food benefits. If you meet those limits (see below), they will review your situation to see if you qualify. They must consider each household’s circumstances when deciding if people are eligible.

The nutrition benefit amount depends on household size, countable income, and expenses. Some households may be eligible for Food Stamps (3SquaresVT), but only for a $0 monthly benefit. It may still be worthwhile for them to enroll in the program as they may qualify for the other benefits.

Also, if you are enrolled in the program and your income goes down, you may qualify for a higher monthly nutrition benefit amount.

If you were denied Food Stamps, please use the Food Stamp Calculator below to estimate if you qualify now!

Click Here to See If You Qualify >> Food Stamp Calculator

Are Your Gas or Heating Bills Too High? There is HELP!

It is not too late to apply. You can still apply for Seasonal Fuel Assistance this season. The final deadline is February 28th. If you apply between February 1st and 28th and you are found eligible your check will be issued to your fuel dealer on March 31st.

WHERE TO APPLY? >>> Apply at the Chittenden Community Action (CCA) office. The CCA office is located at 191 North Street, in Burlington, (802) 863-6248.

Office hours are 9:00 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday except holidays. CCA provides a variety of free services to help meet the needs of low income people throughout Chittenden County. Services include; fuel and utility assistance, housing assistance, information and referral, Farm to Family Program and advocacy.

This is very helpful program and it might save hundreds of dollars for you!

What to do If your child has a bad cough?

Click here for detailed information: >> YOUR CHILD'S COUGH

Home Treatment

Home treatments should never take the place of consulting your child's doctor for any of the conditions listed above, but there are several things you can do at home to make your child more comfortable when he or she has an annoying cough.

If your child has asthma, make sure you have received asthma-management instructions from your child's doctor. Monitor your child's progress carefully during a flare-up and give asthma medicines according to the doctor's instructions.

If your child wakes up with a "barking" or "croupy" cough in the middle of the night, take her into the bathroom, close the door, and let the shower run on hot for several minutes. After the room steams up, sit on the bathroom floor with your child for about 20 minutes. The steam should help your child breathe more easily. Try reading a book together to keep your child occupied.

A cool-mist humidifier in your child's room might help her sleep through the night.

Cool beverages like juice can be soothing; avoid carbonated or citrus drinks, however, because carbonation and citric acid can be painful on raw areas.

You should not give your child (especially a baby or toddler) OTC cough medicine without specific instructions to do so from your child's doctor. Many of these medicines suppress coughs, but respiratory illnesses sometimes produce a lot of secretions and coughing helps clear them out of the airway. If the cough were suppressed with medicine, it could actually be harmful to your child. In some instances, these medicines have even caused dangerous side effects when given to infants or very young children. In addition, the guidelines for OTC doses for children are often derived from adult guidelines (not formulated specifically for small children), so the medicine may not work exactly as intended.

Cough drops, which are fine for older children, are a choking hazard for young children. It's best to leave decisions about your child's medicine to your child's doctor.

Safety Page - Prevent Fires !!

Click on this Safety Link >> Burlington Fire Department


Click on this Safety Link >> Sparky's Home Heating Rules


Click on this Safety Link >> Space Heater Rules


Click on this Safety Link >> Fast Facts About Heating



Click on this Safety Link >> Small Space Heaters are Dangerous Killers!!

What does housing discrimination really mean?

If you have been treated unfairly because of your race, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, religious creed, color, national origin or disability including HIV status, because you intend to occupy a dwelling with minor children, or because you are the recipient of public assistance, then you have experienced illegal discrimination.

Discrimination is not always obvious and can take many forms. It may happen when a landlord refuses to rent you an apartment, or tells you it is unavailable when it is really vacant. It may occur when the terms and conditions of your lease are different from those of the landlord's other tenants. Illegal discrimination can also happen in advertisements.

The Fair Housing Project (FHP)

Call: 864-3334 x202

The Fair Housing Project (FHP) is a program of the Statewide Housing Services division of the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity (CVOEO), a non-profit community action agency. The FHP works to eradicate housing discrimination in Vermont through education, outreach, and enforcement of fair housing laws. The FHP assists victims of discrimination, investigates complaints, and works with attorneys to pursue litigation when necessary.

Kevin Stapleton , Director
kstapleton@cvoeo.org
802-864-3334 x 102

Dani Fuoco, Education and Outreach Director
dfuoco@cvoeo.org
802-864-3334 x 109

Do you have critical problems in your apartment? What To Do About Major Code Violations (For Burlington Tenants)

A TENANT Information Sheet PRODUCED BY VERMONT TENANTS, INC./CVOEO

Under both Vermont State law and Burlington law, tenants have the right to safe and decent housing. If you have problems in your rented housing that present real health or safety threats, then those problems violate Vermont's Warranty of Habitability law and Burlington's minimum housing codes. If there are such problems with your rental unit, here are some steps you can take.

First and Always (If at all possible), talk with your landlord about the problem. Explain what needs to be fixed. If he or she does not take action to fix the problem in a reasonably timely manner then:

--- Contact a Burlington Rental Housing Inspector (863-9094).

An inspector can order the landlord to make the needed repairs. Also, if an inspector finds serious code violations in your rental unit then the inspector's order will serve as your proof that real problems exist and it is your insurance against a retaliatory eviction.Retaliation against a tenant for making a legitimate complaint to an inspector is illegal.

--- Contact Vermont Tenants Inc. at 864-0099.

--- Always send a written notice to your landlord and/or property manager informing him or her of the problem and of what actions you intend to take.

You must do this even if the landlord already knows about the problem. VTI has a form letter you could use for this purpose. You should not forget to date the letter. It is preferable to send this letter by certified mail.Remember to make a copy of your letter and file it away where you can easily find it in the future.

If the landlord fails to make the repairs within a reasonable amount of time ("reasonable amount of time" will vary depending on the severity of the problem), you can:

«Begin withholding rent until the problem is fixed.

If you withhold rent it is best to put the rent into a separate account at a bank each time it is due.Wherever you keep the withheld rent money, it is very important not to spend it. You may need to prove to a court that you are withholding rent for a legal reason and not just because you could not or would not pay rent for some other reason.

« Terminate the rental agreement after giving the landlord a reasonable notice period.
« Get an order from a judge forcing the landlord to make the repairs.
« File a suit for damages and attorney's costs.

If you are considering either of the last two options in this list you should contact an attorney.
You can pursue more than one of the options listed above at the same time. Doing one of them does not prevent you from pursuing one or more of the other options.

NOTE: This document is intended to serve as a general guide to tenants and does not constitute a legal opinion or legal advice regarding any specific situation.

Vermont Tenants, Inc. is located at:294 North Winooski Avenue,Burlington, Vermont; 05401(802) 864-0099 or 1-800-287-7971

Mice causes house fire!

BURLINGTON -- Mice chewing through electrical wires inside a wall started a fire over the weekend that caused thousands of dollars of damage to a house on Overlake Park, Burlington Fire Department officials said.Burlington firefighters were called to the scene at 82 Overlake Park at about 2 a.m. Saturday after the homeowners smelled smoke and could feel intense heat coming through the second story floor.

Because the fire was inside the walls of the home, firefighters used thermal imaging cameras to pinpoint the flames that had already spread from the first and second floors into a third, said fire officials. Fire crews extinguished the blaze by breaking through walls on the first and second floors.The fire - caused by mice that had chewed through a 220 volt electric wire - had burned about two hours before residents smelled smoke, said Burlington Fire Department Assistant Fire Marshal Thomas Middleton.Middleton said the $700,000 home sustained about $80,000 in damages.