BELLOWS FALLS — Cathy Eakins, a residential lending officer with Peoples United, a division of M & T Bank, received the Tom Yahn Award at Windham & Windsor Housing Trust's (WWHT) 34th Annual Celebration in May at the Waypoint Center in Bellows Falls.
The award is given out annually, in honor of former WWHT board member Tom Yahn, to a Brattleboro community member who demonstrates a long-term commitment to the preservation and development of affordable housing and/or to the lives of those who live in affordable housing. This was the first award since Tom's tragic passing, felt across the community in early 2021.
“For over 20 years, through her professional and volunteer work, Cathy Eakins' has demonstrated her commitment to the Tom Yahn Award's core principal that 'everything we do for the citizens of our community must start with safe, decent, and affordable housing.'” said WWHT board president Victor Morrison.
According to a news release, Eakins has been “a steady and devoted member of WWHT's Home Repair Program's Loan Review Committee, having joined as a founding member. Cathy is an important resource to WWHT's housing counseling staff in helping them understand changing mortgage guidelines and is consistently described in positive ways by many first-time homebuyers enrolled in WWHT's Smart Start to Homeownership Program.”
WWHT added that Eakins “has also been an invaluable resource for the both staff and homebuyers who are purchasing a home through WWHT's shared equity program. This program removes a key barrier to homeownership by providing a generous down payment grant which helps people achieve the dream of owning their home. But it adds a layer of complexity to a process that is already lengthy and challenging to navigate. Cathy's kind and skillful approach has helped hundreds of homebuyers successfully complete the process and enjoy being homeowners.”
For information about any of WWHT's Homeownership programs, apartments, and to learn how to apply for housing, call 802-254-4604.