Sarah Carpenter has long been on the frontlines of delivering
affordable housing in Vermont.  For the past 10 years, she has
helped fund projects across the state as executive director of
the Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA), earning several
honors, including the Leahy Leadership Award, which recognizes
efforts to alleviate homelessness in the state.  She tells us
more about herself and what's new at VHFA.  Q: How did you get
started in affordable housing?  A: My first jobs were in social
work. It was there I learned how hard it is to assist a family
or an aging or disabled person if they don't have a decent,
safe, affordable place to live. We really needed to solve that
problem first.  Q: What was your big break?  A: I had worked in
the area of housing and services, and when I returned to
Burlington after being in graduate school I took a position as
executive director of Cathedral Square Corp., a small nonprofit
interested in growing its housing development and management.
They offered me the opportuni