COTS, a housing and shelter services nonprofit, has announced a new campaign to help complete a new, larger adult overnight shelter in Burlington that’s expected to open in December.
Having successfully met the $200,000 challenge grant announced in May, COTS has launched a final $200,000 challenge grant, provided by the Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation, to close a final funding gap, according to a press release.
“This project is about much more than bricks and mortar, it’s about dignity, hope, and a fresh start,” Jonathan Farrell, executive director of COTS, formerly known as the Committee on Temporary Shelter, wrote in the release.
The $400,000 COTS is hoping to raise will help renovate a downtown former Social Security building bought in January to create a more modern, spacious, ADA-compliant night shelter.
The current night shelter on Church Street, called the Waystation, has long outgrown the space and demand. In the last fiscal year, it served 159 people.
The new 7,361-square-foot property at 58 Pearl St. will triple the space available in the Waystation and provide beds for up to 56 adults, allowing COTS to expand its shelter services by 55%. The current location will be converted into permanent affordable housing.
Meeting this match “will allow us to expand shelter, improve accessibility, and provide the wraparound services that empower people to rebuild their lives,” Farrell said in the release.
Tom Gauntlett, president of the Buffum foundation board, called COTS’ work “life-changing.”
“We’re proud to support this campaign and hope this challenge will inspire others to help COTS cross the finish line,” he wrote in the release.
