The federal government will continue reimbursing states 100% of their Covid-19 emergency response costs through April 1, the White House announced Tuesday.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency dollars have been bankrolling vaccination clinics, expanded National Guard operations and public education campaigns. But FEMA has also been picking up the tab for a program housing Vermonters experiencing homelessness in motels, and President Joe Biden’s announcement comes amid a debate in the state about whether to expand or phase out the program.
About 1,500 people are being housed in motels, according to the most recent figures provided by the Department for Children and Families. A little more than 700 people were given $2,500 and pushed out July 1 when the state enacted stricter eligibility requirements, although it is not known how many secured permanent housing, found shelter space or are without shelter.
As cases plummeted in the wake of a nation-leading vaccination campaign, a bipartisan political consensus emerged over the summer in Montpelier that the motel program should wind down. But the Delta variant has brought the virus surging back, and Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, now finds himself under pressure from advocates and Democratic leadership to let those kicked out over the summer return.
House Speaker Jill Krowinski, D-Burlington, and Senate Pro Tem Becca Balint, D-Windham, released a joint statement last week endorsing a push by advocates to relax eligibility back to a pre-July 1 state of affairs, at least through the winter. On Tuesday, Democratic Lt. Gov. Molly Gray joined them, citing the federal government’s funding decision.
“Lt. Governor Gray agrees, particularly with the recently announced extension of FEMA’s 100% reimbursement through April 1, 2022, that the state should revert to pre-July 1 eligibility criteria,” Andrew Gillespie, a spokesperson for her office, wrote in an email.
This is not the first time Biden has announced he would be extending FEMA reimbursements as the virus has outlasted predictions that the pandemic was coming under control. He did so on his second day in office, according to the Associated Press, and again in August. Before Tuesday’s announcement, FEMA reimbursements were set to stop Dec. 31.
Brenda Siegel, a former gubernatorial candidate, and Josh Lisenby, a former motel resident, have been sleeping on the Statehouse steps for nearly a month in an attempt to pressure state leaders to bring back the full pandemic motel program.
“You said before that you did not want to turn on a program you had to turn off in mid winter. You now know you can keep it on through the spring. This is an easy yes,” they said in a joint statement Tuesday.
Scott has shifted his stance on the motel program in recent months. In September, days before another 500 people were set to lose eligibility for their rooms, the governor enacted a 30-day “pause” to keep people in place. In October, he extended this to Dec. 31, when FEMA funding was originally set to expire, but said current motel residents would be able to remain another 18 months through a new state program.
But the governor has resisted calls to simply allow all those once eligible to return, although he has said the state would pay for emergency housing, including motels, during periods of extreme cold under DCF’s “adverse weather policy.”
It is not known at this point how cold will be considered cold enough. Administration officials last week released a placeholder cold-weather policy — essentially the same as the one in place in 2019 — but said a significant update is coming shortly.
“DCF has been working on a policy to add significantly more predictability for Vermonters who qualify under the adverse weather provision, which will be announced tomorrow,” Jason Maulucci, a spokesperson for the governor, said Tuesday.
