This story by by Cassandra Hemenway and Carla Occaso was first published in The Bridge on Dec. 16.
Following several nights of below-zero temperatures and the death of a man who had been sleeping outside in minus-17-degree-Fahrenheit weather in Barre, those without shelter will have a warm bed when it dips below 10 degrees in Montpelier. Montpelier City Council members voted unanimously on Dec. 10 to commit up to $20,000 toward minor upgrades to the city hall basement so it can be used as an extreme weather emergency winter shelter this year.
This shelter is activated only when the temperatures are below 10 degrees and is not available every night.
A new organization, the Montpelier Emergency Cold Weather Shelter (Montpelier Cold), a registered nonprofit with the state of Vermont, requested the use of the space from the city, noting in a memo to the council that the organization would staff the shelter, with 15 beds available. The organization formed out of a group of local churches that have provided such shelter in the past.
“The Montpelier Cold Board of Directors (who are all residents of Montpelier) believe that the first priority of city government is to maximize the safety and well-being of its residents — all of its residents — which includes those without shelter on the coldest nights of the year,” the group wrote in its memo. “In the last week, we have already provided two very cold nights of shelter for 11 people, including a woman in her second trimester of pregnancy, a gentleman with significant chronic medical problems, a woman requiring use of a walker and oxygen concentrator, and a veteran who has lost digits from frostbite in the past. And we know of those who have died as a result of being outside in the cold.”
The group’s memo also noted “In the winter of 2023/24, local churches provided shelter for 14 nights. Last winter’s harsher weather required that we be open 45 nights. While weather predictions are uncertain, we can safely assume that the need remains.” Montpelier Cold also requested the city provide an insurance rider and a staff liaison for the shelter.
Compounding the problem, noted Montpelier Cold Treasurer Nancy Reid (who also serves as board president of The Bridge), is that the nightly emergency shelter that had operated out of the former Elks Club in Montpelier does not exist this winter.
“The biggest program is the nightly shelter that happens between Dec. 1 and the end of March that used to be at the Elks Club is no longer,” Reid told The Bridge. “… It has not been replaced.”
Reid said the Unitarian Church of Montpelier has been providing a cold weather emergency shelter as a temporary measure until the city space is up and running. It does not replace the nightly shelter that had housed up to 25 people in the last few years, however, she said.
According to reporting in VTDigger, the Office of Economic Opportunity at the Department for Children and Families has recently created a new Extreme Cold Weather Shelter Program, in partnership with Vermont Interfaith Action, to support people experiencing homelessness during periods of extreme cold.
“The program will operate from Dec. 1 to April 1, when temperatures reach at least −10 degrees, with projects in Bennington, Burlington, Newport, Rutland, Barre, Montpelier, and Brattleboro, Lily Sojourner, director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, said,” according to the VTDigger story reported by Alice Finno.
Reid noted that a grant from Vermont Interfaith Action for Montpelier Cold to operate the extreme weather shelter originally only paid for those nights when temperatures drop to minus 10 F. She said the group negotiated that temperature guideline to 0 F, but “we’re saying 10 degrees. Period. And we’ll pay for it. Ten degrees is our metric, but we really are only officially paid for zero or below.”
Murphy expressed concerns some people had about using the city hall basement because of past adverse experiences, staff unease, and the required cleanup. Some carpentry/electrical work would need to be done first, said Sustainability and Facilities Coordinator Chris Lumbra. He estimated the cost to be in the “upper teens” of thousands of dollars.
Murphy also said the police station is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and could be used in a life-or-death situation. Reverend Beth Ann Maier (deacon at Christ Church) and others emphasized the urgency, needing space within a week.
After some discussion, the city council voted to make the basement area of city hall fit to be an emergency shelter and allocated up to $20,000.
An extreme cold weather shelter in Barre is located at the Barre Congregational Church at 35 Church Street in Barre, according to the Department for Children and Families website.
On Dec. 9, Dan Barlow, executive director of the People’s Health and Wellness Clinic in Barre, wrote about a woman who came into the clinic on Dec. 9, after spending a night in her car in minus 14 degree weather.
“She arrived half-frozen, tears streaming, barely able to breathe — it sounded like she was dying. It was as painfully real as homelessness can get,” Barlow wrote on his Facebook page.
Clinic medical staff were able to help the person. Barlow said the woman did not know about the Barre Congregational Church shelter. The incident occurred the same night that Richard Govea, 51, was found dead after sleeping outdoors in the 400 block of North Main Street, according to WCAX.
Barlow ended his post with a plea: “If you know of resources — warming shelters, clothes, winter-ready housing, community connections — please share. And if you’re able to help, please do. These warming shelters are staffed by volunteers. Because for one woman today, your kindness might have meant the difference between life and death.”
