A group brought together by a Bennington high school student, ranging from state representatives to a Vermonter who used the state’s pandemic hotel voucher program, called on the governor to address homelessness head-on.
“We need an action plan, and, Gov. Scott, it’s your job to provide that,” said Addie Lentzner, who organized Tuesday’s virtual press conference.
On behalf of the group, Lentzner urged Scott to expand the motel program for housing-insecure Vermonters, extend the eviction moratorium, and continue increased access to food. She also promoted a petition to the governor that lays out the group’s proposal.
Hundreds of Vermonters became ineligible for state-funded hotel and motel rooms on July 1, and a 14-day extension to allow Vermonters with disabilities to show state officials they’re eligible for an extension will end Wednesday.
A total of 37 Vermonters have applied to stay longer, according to information presented Tuesday at Gov. Phil Scott’s Covid press conference, and the state was housing 1,488 people in the program.
Scott said during that press conference that the hotel/motel program that the state expanded during the pandemic was “not sustainable” and the state no longer has access to the same number of motels and hotels.
“We believe that going back to more traditional means of helping the homeless would be more beneficial to the individual as well, getting the wraparound services and so forth that they need,” he said, citing resources for addiction and mental health issues. “We didn’t necessarily have eyes on that when they were in some of the hotels and motels.”
But panelists at Lentzner’s press conference argued that, with the state embroiled in a housing crisis, a dearth of affordable housing, and the eviction moratorium set to expire July 15, the governor must do more.
The conference was organized by a group of youth advocates and former gubernatorial candidate Brenda Siegel, Lentzner told VTDigger. The high schooler met Siegel through the Governor’s Institutes of Vermont and worked with her and several students to push for resources to help Vermonters facing housing insecurity.
Lentzner opened the press conference with the story of Thierry Huega, a homeless Vermonter who she said died sleeping under a bridge in 4-degree weather in February 2020 after he was unable to secure a ride to a shelter.
“He was incredibly human and reminded me that sometimes society neglects to see the humanity of people who are less fortunate than ourselves,” Lentzner said.
Though the motel program “had its flaws,” Lentzner described it as a temporary end to homelessness in the state during the pandemic. She said she sees the program as a path to permanent housing for many.
Josh Lisenby, who stayed in the Middlebury Courtyard by Marriott for part of the pandemic, attested to the effectiveness of expanded access to housing and health care. Pre-pandemic, Lisenby said, he had stayed at Charter House Coalition in Middlebury, which was then just a warming shelter open 7 p.m. to 9 a.m., six months a year.
“It’s literally a place to go get a dinner, have a place to sleep and shower and make a cup of coffee in the morning, and then leave,” he said.
Just before Covid-19 hit, the shelter switched to a year-round setup. Lisenby stayed there throughout much of the pandemic, was able to get Medicaid and scheduled several doctors’ appointments — including one with an optometrist so he could finally get a pair of glasses.
On the day he was scheduled to go in for a minor surgical procedure, Lisenby said the then-director of Charter House Coalition told him he could no longer remain at the shelter because he had been disrespectful. Lisenby believes that was because he was sometimes hypercritical and said he and staff “didn’t see eye to eye.”
He moved into a room at the Courtyard by Marriott.
Lisenby called for more oversight of shelters and other resources for Vermonters facing housing insecurity.
“I just feel like, you know, the people that we go to for help are some of the people that are hurting us the worst,” he said.
Proposals for greater regulation of rental housing in Vermont crossed lawmakers’ desks earlier this year. The Legislature passed S.79, a bill that would create a rental registry and require the Division of Fire Safety to conduct safety inspections. But Scott vetoed the legislation, saying it would decrease housing options while the state is suffering from a shortage.
Addison County State’s Attorney Dennis Wygman, another speaker at the press conference, advocated for a “better strategy” than having homeless Vermonters sleep in tents for the summer. He suggested creation of a rental registry and mentioned Scott’s veto.
Erica Jansch, a rising freshman and youth advocate from Bennington, said housing is the first step toward helping Vermonters in poverty, and the end of expanded housing programs may pose a public health risk.
“Gov. Phil Scott was praised for his response to the pandemic, but as the pandemic dies down, he only puts more Vermonters’ health at risk by ending the motel vouchers for homeless individuals, forcing them onto the streets and discontinuing the expanded food access programs,” she said.
State Sen. Kesha Ram, D-Chittenden; Rep. Tanya Vyhovsky, P/D-Essex; and Rep. Taylor Small, P/D-Winooski, also spoke. Ram called for Vermont to use pandemic recovery funds from the federal government to invest in housing.
