Vermont's continuing shortage of affordable housing has Montpelier leaders considering a second statewide bond. "It's a no-brainer," said Gwen Donovan of South BurlingtonWhen Donovan, 66, moved to the state in 2018, she said she was forced to live in a campground. "I paid $800 a month to sleep on dirt," she told NBC5, as she searched relentlessly across Chittenden and Grand Isle counties and was unable to find an apartment she could afford on her fixed income. Mostly, she said, she found grossly substandard studio and one-bedroom apartments for which landlords demanded $1,300 a month -- or more. Now, Statehouse leaders are considering their options.A $37 million "Housing for All Bond," as it was called, that passed in 2017, has since leveraged more than $100 million in new housing construction across Vermont. So far, more than 700 new apartments have been constructed and a few more are on the way.Gov. Phil Scott and many housing advocates call the 2017 bond wildly successful in generating both new jobs and badly needed housing working people can afford.But State Treasurer Beth Pearce isn't sure the state can swing much more debt right now.Pearce was tasked by the Legislature last year with recommending financing options for a second affordable housing initiative. The goal would be to build 1,000 additional units across Vermont within five years. The treasurer's report, released this week, cautions against bonding this time, in light of the state's other expenses. Instead, Pearce said, lawmakers should "fully fund at statutory levels" the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board annually, and consider using state surplus money to establish a new housing trust fund."That hasn't been done," she said. The VHCB approach would finance 500 new units and avoid long-term borrowing costs, she said. By contrast, the $37 million bond in 2017 will generate $14 million in interest costs for taxpayers over 20 years. But there is also some urgency to act quickly in a state desperate to attract new residents and workers. Some developers and legislators have heard from Vermont companies who say they've offered jobs to new prospects who turn them down after discovering the high cost of rental housing.Thousands of vacant jobs across Vermont has policymakers concerned about a demographic crisis, lost tax revenue and economic decline. Donovan finally landed an affordable apartment last month in South Burlington at the new 60-unit Garden Street complex. She is overjoyed, and struggles to control her emotions as she recounted her 18-month struggle to land something safe, clean and within her budget.Garden Street, a $16 million project in South Burlington's emerging City Center area, is owned by Champlain Housing Trust. One-bedroom apartments start at about $700 a month, depending on a tenant's income. CHT says the complex will offer "permanently affordable" rental units thanks to the nearly $4 million in construction funding from the 2017 state housing bond.For more information: www.getahome.org/garden-st