Today I read your coverage concerning the need for emergency shelters until we can better meet the housing needs in Vermont.
I have been a social worker in Vermont for over 40 years and today Vermont is facing a need for shelter that is unprecedented in our state. The need is also starting to affect the working middle class, parents with children who cannot make ends meet due to inflation and rents being increased statewide.
The emotional pain of parents feeling that they are failing as a family is heartbreaking to witness. I have also heard talk of taking children into state custody if families are forced to live in their cars. Needless to say, the state foster care system would not be able to house the numbers of children, and I have always been under the assumption that homelessness itself is not a valid reason for splitting up families.
I am working with many individuals living outside or in cars, as well as with many families at risk of homelessness, or now homeless and living in cars. The need for shelter for families and individuals is already surpassing the availability of shelters or motel rooms in the state, and winter is just beginning.
I am hoping that anyone reading this will talk to others in their communities. There are many people who are either homeless or at risk of homelessness who are working in our communities, and many have children in our schools.
Rent hikes, mortgage rates and general inflation have made housing unattainable for many. Local resources, organizations and even individuals have pitched in to try to slow down the increase in homelessness.
It is time for people to open their hearts to the individuals and families that are suffering in their communities. Temporary shelters will help to keep vulnerable people safe until we can catch up with the housing that is needed. I have been proud to live in our state because we try to do the right thing for less fortunate people. Keeping people safe in our communities is the right thing to do.
Nancy Griffin
Pomfret
