Melinda Bussino, long-time advocate for homeless Vermonters, died Sunday after suffering a heart attack a week earlier. She was 65.
Melinda was the Executive Director of the Brattleboro Area Drop-In Center, a day center and community food shelf for the homeless and lonely, which she helped found in the late 1980s.
Her years of commitment and leadership providing comfort and shelter to homeless Vermonters, and her tireless advocacy on their behalf, was widely recognized. In 2008, Melinda won the Housing Hero award at VHFA's statewide, biennial Vermont Housing Conference.
Melinda Bussino (right) receives 2008 Housing Hero award from VHFA's Sarah Carpenter (left)
Melinda was a much-valued colleague, collaborating with her partners in Vermont’s housing and homelessness organizations. She was the most recent chair of the Vermont Council to End Homelessness. She also served as the Governor’s appointee on the Housing and Urban Development Consolidated Planning Committee and the Vermont Interagency Council on Homelessness.