This commentary is by Michael Ruggles of St. Johnsbury. He is a member of the Housing and Homelessness Alliance of Vermont and the Housing First Alliance. He holds a seat on the Legal Services of Vermont board of trustees and is a U.S. Army veteran.
Homelessness reached its highest level on record in the U.S. in 2023. Vermont reported the second-highest rate of homelessness in the country. This crisis may seem inevitable. I know we do not have to accept the current situation, because I am proof of what works to solve homelessness.
My homelessness journey began when I was a college student in the Northeast Kingdom. I was living on campus. I was working at the campus cafeteria and public safety, but I still couldn’t afford to live on campus anymore. I could have stayed on campus, but I would have had to live in my car. So I had to leave my studies. I started going to the local warming shelter in St. Johnsbury right next to the hospital. I also spent a little time in a tent by the river in St. Johnsbury. Living in a tent when it’s sunny and wonderful out and dry is almost a pleasure. But as soon as it rains, it makes the next two weeks maybe even longer and more miserable.
Then the pandemic hit, and the state housed us in the hotels. Living in a hotel was better than the tent. I found safety and community in the hotel. But there’s no stability there. There’s no permanence. Everything is temporary. I worried all the time about going back to the street. It is difficult to get and keep a job when you don’t know if you will have a place to stay and shower.
But then a lawyer at Vermont Legal Aid hooked me up with Supportive Services for Veteran Families, which houses veterans to housing using a Housing First approach. Housing First approaches are built on the idea that nothing is possible without the foundation of housing and quickly work to house people experiencing homelessness. Three months later, I had an apartment.
It’s been such a short time that I’ve been housed, but things are changing at a rapid pace. I feel healthier. I’m eating better. I’m choosing more healthy options and rather than “Gee, what can I pop in the microwave? Or cook over a campfire out in the woods?” When you’re homeless those are your two options. Mental health is a big thing that has changed. I feel more or less stable, more secure. I feel better about being outside on the street walking around. I’m already developing relationships with my neighbors. Being housed has also enabled me to get a job. None of this would be possible without housing.
My story is one of many that show that this problem is solvable. Homelessness among veterans has decreased almost every year over the last decade even as it has soared both nationally and in Vermont. This is because the U.S. has committed to Housing First for veterans.
Housing First isn’t available for everyone who needs it though. There are a lot of people in the Northeast Kingdom that are homeless but not veterans. I left many people behind in the motel when I found housing. Some have now lost their motel room and have returned to the street. Others are living by the river. Some are still in the motel, but they still can’t find a place to go.
Stability is what we’re all searching for. And we can’t build anything unless we have the foundation of housing.
