Homelessness

Vermont Governor Phil Scott joined legislative and housing leaders in a press conference last week to update the public on the first year progress of the Building Homes Together campaign.

The Vermont Resident Services Coordinators (VRSC) invites you to join them on Wednesday, November 1, 2017 for a training workshop.  The workshop will be followed by the VRSC member meeting.

Based on feedback from property managers and apartment seekers, VHFA launched this week a redesigned, user-friendly Vermont Directory of Affordable Rental Housing at www.housingdata.org. We improved search tools and expanded the site to include more information people looking for an apartment need, such as rent and income limits, property photos, proximity to public transportation, accessibility features and pet policies.  

The Vermont Council on Homelessness has a new website providing information about the state's initiatives to help end homelessness.  The responsibilities of the Council include development, monitoring and periodic revision of Vermont’s Plan to End Homelessness.

The annual count of people living in Chittenden County who are homeless decreased by 12% from the previous year, according to the Chittenden County Homeless Alliance. This continues a declining trend that has brought the number of people who are homeless in the county down 45% over the past four years.

Governor Phil Scott joined Congressman Peter Welch, Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger and many other supporters to celebrate the opening of 14 new apartments for people facing homelessness and a newly rebuilt Daystation and Housing Resource Center.  The Committee on Temporary Shelter (COTS) will oversee the apartments and operate the Daystation and Housing Resource Center, all of which are located at 95 North Avenue in Burlington’s Old North End neighborhood.

As a part of the ongoing Roadmap to End Homelessness work that VHFA has partially funded through a partnership with the Agency of Human Services, Vermont Housing & Conservation Board and many others, national experts on Supportive Housing will be in Vermont next week to provide a training on best practices.

Please join us at the State House in Montpelier on January 5 to renew Vermont's commitment to ending homelessness.  The day will include time to meet with lawmakers and experts to discuss effective strategies Vermont could use to conquer remaining challenges in ending homelessness. A vigil will also be held to remember those who have died without homes and the hundreds of Vermonters still searching for safe, secure housing they can afford.  

From VT. Dept. for Children and Families: 

A steering committee of housing and service providers, state agencies and funding organizations is working to reduce homelessness and stabilize vulnerable populations.  The committee’s current goal is to develop a system for facilitating service-connected affordable housing options, building local capacity, determining costs and identifying available and needed resources.