Hours before Governor Shumlin delivered his second inaugural address last week, Vermonters combating homelessness gathered on the Statehouse steps in Montpelier. One participant held up a sign that read “Housing: Take the ‘less’ out of ‘homeless’".
In recognition of the disastrous effects of homelessness for individuals and their communities, Governor Shumlin signed a 5-year plan to end homelessness in Vermont. Shumlin promised to “continue to increase both the availability of housing and the delivery of services to those who are homeless.” “While ending homelessness is no simple feat to be achieved in a single year, this plan outlines our strategy to reduce the incidence and duration of homelessness in Vermont,” the Governor continued.
The plan is the product of months of effort from the Vermont Council on Homelessness, led by Angus Chaney of the VT Agency of Human Services and comprised of representatives from a variety of state agencies and emergency shelters as well as people who have experienced homelessness and members at large. VHFA’s Sarah Carpenter and Maura Collins were heavily involved in the plan's development.
Read the Vermont's Plan to End Homelessness