This commentary is by Brenda Siegel, who was the Democratic nominee for governor in 2022.
According to recent data, Vermont has the second-highest rate of homelessness in the country, behind only California.
We have a statewide housing vacancy rate of just over 2%, according to 2022 data, which is the second-lowest vacancy rate in the country.
This means that, in a market where rents are skyrocketing and an average Vermonter cannot afford to rent, more and more people are entering homelessness with nowhere to go.
Where Vermont has succeeded thus far is in keeping people experiencing homelessness sheltered. That is about to end if nothing changes, putting over 2,000 households at risk of losing their access to shelter by July 1. It is the responsibility of our Legislature and the administration to have an adequate plan for legitimate and sustainable shelter for all those experiencing homelessness in Vermont.
Most of the elected leaders that I know agree with this and seek to continue to keep all Vermonters sheltered. Unfortunately, the governor and his administration are putting them in an untenable situation.
The governor would never get away with a budget veto with the numbers we have right now in the supermajority; the Legislature would certainly override that veto. If ever there was a place for us to stand our ground, the health and well-being of people experiencing homelessness is it. Our policy should reflect the care that I know we all have for those among us with the least. This is, without a doubt, those who have nowhere to live, nowhere to be inside, nowhere to lie their heads.
More than 4,400 Vermont households experienced homelessness in 2022. Of those, roughly 3,000 utilized the general assistance motel program. Right now people struggling the most are already taking the heaviest hit from changes in federal programs. Increased SNAP, emergency rental assistance, Medicaid and more will end in the coming weeks. The results will be catastrophic. A loss of shelter will only make these outcomes worse and our economic burden as a state higher.
Under the current proposal in the House, the number of people we shelter utilizing the general assistance program would be reduced from over 1,800 households, 2,800 individuals, to only 146 households by July 1, sending the majority of the rest to the street. When cold weather comes, less than one-third of those experiencing homelessness would be covered under Adverse Weather Conditions, leaving many at risk of freezing to death, along with a myriad of negative impacts on their mental and physical health.
As much excellent work as has gone into permanent housing, it will not be ready by July 1 or Dec. 1 or July 2024. Pre-Covid, several people froze to death each winter. They were out of sight and many of us didn’t know this was happening. Covid peeled back the layers.
The people we are currently sheltering in the motels are not disposable; they deserve to remain safe. A responsible transition plan away from the use of motels will keep people sheltered. Exiting motel guests who are experiencing homelessness — with no plan, no substitute, and nowhere for them to go — is not that transition and is not responsible.
When people exit from the motels, they are relocated to our downtown streets. People return to unsafe relationships and structures. They don’t disappear. They are just made unsafe. This does not make our communities stronger or safer. It also gives a false sense of saving on the bottom line, when in fact it is just diverting costs to public safety, the health care system, and to the long-term impacts of homelessness, while not adequately solving anything.
“But how do we come up with a plan? What alternative do we have? This can’t go on forever.” These are the concerns that I hear.
It is true that we need a strategic long- and short-term plan to address emergency, transitional and permanent housing. Housing leaders have presented a “Bridges to Housing” proposal. The Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition has outlined the data on the impacts on removing shelter, and I have offered a Blueprint to End Homelessness by 2030 and with a commissioned report to direct implementation, we would have a path.
But we cannot do any of this without adequate funding.
Our action cannot be on permanent housing alone. We must weave a thread from the moment we are in and create a bridge to permanent housing. People deserve a dignified and responsible shelter plan as we solve this crisis. They did not cause this crisis and they should not bear the brunt of its impact any more than they already are.
When people are returned to the street, many will suffer from trafficking, abuse, violence and more. Nearly all will suffer some form of mental and physical health impacts. In fact, some studies show that within three weeks to a month of experiencing homelessness, people develop a mental illness and shortly thereafter physical illness. Those in recovery will be at risk of relapse, making our record number of overdose deaths worse. This is not hyperbole; this happened when we did it in July 2021.
I am not naive to the challenges facing our elected leaders. I know all the complications that this comes with, but we cannot force our neighbors back into the shadows. Not again.
To those in elected office, I see how hard you are working. These are the places where a veto-proof majority is the most important, for those who have been given no voice have little power, and will have no solution if you do not stand firm.
All Vermonters deserve shelter. Together we can create a responsible transition, weave a path from this moment to permanent housing. Let’s decide that we will not leave people unsheltered on our watch. I know that when we come together, we can build safe and strong communities where the needs of our neighbors are met.
