In 2016, Vermont Interfaith Action established an ambitious goal: to end homelessness in Washington County by 2020. But while homelessness has decreased in other parts of the state, the central Vermont region has seen an increase over the past four years.
“Back then, 2020 seemed like a long time away. Now it looks alarmingly close,” Beth Ann Maier, a deacon at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Barre and a member of Vermont Interfaith Action, said at a community meeting Wednesday night that included an update on its mission to end homelessness.
“If you look at the numbers,” Maier said, “we are not doing very well.”
In 2015, 8% of the state’s homeless population, 123 people, lived in Washington County. That figure rose to 13%, 141 people, in 2019. Maier said her group isn’t sure what caused the increase in the number of homeless people in Washington County.
In 2015, there were 1,523 homeless people living in Vermont. Since then, that number has dropped to 1,089 as of 2019, according to the Vermont Coalition to End Homelessness.
Maier, a longtime pediatrician, speculated that because Vermont Interfaith Action — a coalition of religious organizations — and others have successfully advocated for more services in the county, more homeless people could be moving to the area to take advantage of the increased support. Since 2016, VIA has supported the creation of a coordinated entry program for long-term housing and the addition of 33 shelter beds for nighttime or year-round use in Washington County.
Vermont Interfaith Action wants lawmakers to address some of the root causes of homelessness — including a higher minimum wage. Lawmakers failed to push through a $15 minimum wage last legislative session. Maier said her group is concerned about rising rents in Washington County, and sees the passage of a livable minimum wage as a top priority.
VIA also invited lawmakers and other government officials to answer questions at the meeting about how they’re willing to fight homelessness in Vermont and Washington County.
Rep. Theresa Wood, D-Waterbury, said more support for mental health and substance abuse programs could help prevent people from becoming homeless.
Rep. Mary Hooper, D-Montpelier, said she thinks more homelessness solutions need to be funded. But, in order to do that, she said more revenue sources need to be found in the state. She said people need help transitioning into long-term housing.
“I’m on the Appropriations Committee, which is one of the meanest places to be,” Hooper said. “To see the array of choices we have to make is heartbreaking.”
Rep. Rob LaClair, R-Barre, said enough money has been invested in solutions to the homelessness problem. LaClair believes more support should be provided to landlords like himself who are wary of renting to a person with a history of homelessness. But if an entity was able to ensure he wouldn’t lose money, he would be more open to the idea.
“I truly am better off to have an apartment sit vacant for a few months than I am to take a risk on getting the wrong tenant in there,” LaClair said. “Because, let’s be honest, folks that are chronically homeless do come with a little baggage.”