Burlington seeks state money for overnight homeless shelter, extension of motel program

Lilly St. Angelo, Burlington Free Press
·5 min read

The city of Burlington and the Chittenden County Homeless Alliance are asking the state to fund a new emergency shelter downtown Burlington and extend the motel voucher program for the most vulnerable unhoused people.

Mayor Miro Weinberger announced the proposals alongside several service provider at a press briefing Monday amidst the recent closure of the program that has housed thousands of Vermonters in hotels and motels since the beginning of the pandemic.

The proposals combined would cost the state around $4 million, money Weinberger hopes the state will be able to provide if the Legislature overrides Gov. Phil Scott's veto of the state budget.

Previous coverage: Hotel voucher program to continue after Gov. Scott lets budget adjustment pass unsigned

City pushes for state funding of another downtown shelter

Currently, the only low-barrier, overnight shelters in the county are the Elmwood Avenue pod shelter and ANEW Place's shelter at the Champlain Inn on Shelburne Road, both in Burlington.

The city is proposing that the state fund the transformation of an under-utilized state office building at 108 Cherry St. into another low-barrier shelter that would be able to house 50 people overnight and serve others during the day with resources, food and case management. Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity operates the Community Resource Center which offers similar daytime services, but already serves 160 people a day.

More on homelessness: Unhoused indefinitely: How an overwhelmed housing system has failed one Burlington woman

"Our concern is that people exiting the motels could cause an overflow of guests at that location," said Sarah Russel, Burlington's special assistant to end homelessness, during the Monday briefing. "Therefore we're proposing a secondary daytime location shelter to open. It will also be open during the weekends and would serve as an additional cooling center during the summer months."

The Agency of Human Services has not approved the use of the building yet, pending safety inspections. The shelter would only exist until late November or early December when the emergency winter weather housing program begins and all unhoused people are able to access motel vouchers.

The cost of the shelter would be just over $2 million.

Service providers call for an extension for the most vulnerable

Vermont's Emergency Housing Program existed in its full form from March 2020 through June 2022 and provided hotel vouchers to people who made up to 185% of the the federal poverty guideline, which is $14,580 a year for a single person in 2023. The program was a response to the economic woes brought on by the pandemic and was funded by federal dollars.

During the past fiscal year, a trickle of federal money has remained to keep some people housed through the Transitional Housing Program, but federal funding finally dried up and the Legislature decided to end the program this spring. At the time of the program's end, about 1,800 Vermonter households were relying on motel vouchers for shelter.

With the community building and bathhouse in place, the pod shelter on Elmwood Avenue finally opened after months of delay.
With the community building and bathhouse in place, the pod shelter on Elmwood Avenue finally opened after months of delay.

Aproximately 700 households lost housing due to the program ending June 1, according to a Department for Children and Families webpage, 353 of them in Chittenden County. An additional 70 people with specific circumstances will be forced to leave by July 1. About 475 more households will exhaust their allotted days by July 28. These are some of the most vulnerable people including families with children, seniors, those on disability and people in their third trimester of pregnancy.

The remaining 600 households, people who have become unhoused due to a "catastrophic" events including eviction, domestic violence, death of a spouse or minor child, fire or natural disaster, will be required to exit emergency housing in late September.

Of the households in Chittenden County losing housing in July or September, 165 of them are considered "high need," including 56 families with children, 15 people over 65 years old, 92 people with disabilities, 20 people receiving home health or hospice services, two pregnant people and four households fleeing domestic violence.

The Champlain Inn on Shelburne Road in Burlington, as seen on Oct. 8, 2020. The inn was recently bought by nonprofit ANEW Place, to be converted into a year-round, low-barrier temporary housing facility.
The Champlain Inn on Shelburne Road in Burlington, as seen on Oct. 8, 2020. The inn was recently bought by nonprofit ANEW Place, to be converted into a year-round, low-barrier temporary housing facility.

The Chittenden County Homeless Alliance and the City of Burlington are advocating for the 165 households to receive five to eight more months of motel housing as service providers work to place them in permanent homes.

"It's the position of the Chittenden County Homeless Alliance that placement of these people in a congregate setting is damaging, unsuitable and borderline inhumane," said Will Towne, chief operating officer of Spectrum.

The extension would cost between $1.7 million and $2 million, Weinberger said.

The Hilltop Inn in Berlin, Vt. on Feb. 25, 2021. The 80-room inn is one of many lodging properties across the state that is housing individuals and families experiencing homelessness through the state's General Assistance motel voucher program.
The Hilltop Inn in Berlin, Vt. on Feb. 25, 2021. The 80-room inn is one of many lodging properties across the state that is housing individuals and families experiencing homelessness through the state's General Assistance motel voucher program.

Where the money would come from

Legislators bargained to include $12.5 million in the annual budget to phase out the motel program, a compromise between those who wanted the program to continue and those who wanted it to end, according to VT Digger reporting.

But because the governor vetoed the budget bill, that money is now in limbo until the Legislature reconvenes for a the session to address vetoed bills June 20. The Legislature could override the veto with two-thirds majority in both the House and the Senate.

The Department for Children and Families issued a request from municipalities and service providers for ideas and projects to help those who were formerly housed in motel rooms find shelter. The department will then decide which ideas and projects to fund if the budget passes and the $12.5 million is made available.

Contact Urban Change Reporter Lilly St. Angelo at lstangelo@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @lilly_st_ang.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Burlington homelessness: City wants to use state offices as shelter