BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – As cold weather sets in, what is the State of Vermont’s plan for homeless Vermonters? State lawmakers got a look at what could be changing on Thursday.
The Department for Children and Families says they are working with numerous community providers—nonprofits and religious organizations—to bring some 96 shelter beds online. Some of these shelters are seasonal, while others are new, like the recently opened shelter in downtown Burlington, a shelter in Montpelier, or a new space in Rutland operated by BROC Community Action.
Like last year, the Scott Administration rolled out several state-funded family shelters, aiming to connect people with housing, jobs, and more. There will also be new rules for state-funded hotel rooms on the coldest nights. People will now be eligible when it is ten below out, not twenty below in previous years.
Leaders with DCF say it is a balancing act on how many days they can offer and how the rooms are funded.
“Part of this year is to do that assessment and try to find that sweet spot of like how much can we commit without getting to a place where we overbudget or get to a place where we put a group of volunteers or a space where they say we are not going to do this next year,” said Lily Sojourner with the Department for Children and Families.
However, the need here is still immense, and at least one lawmaker commented that a few dozen new beds amid a backdrop of thousands of homeless Vermonters is a drop in the bucket.
Homeless service providers spoke to state lawmakers on Thursday, talking about an increase in people who are unsheltered homeless and an uptick in those with medical, physical, and mental health issues.
They also tackled concerns about state dollars stretched thin from inflation and the potential loss of Section-8 housing vouchers or cuts to Medicaid programs that also fund housing.
