Republican Gov. Phil Scott has signed an executive order allowing families with children under age 19 and “medically vulnerable” Vermonters who face eviction from hotel and motel rooms on April 1 to remain in the state’s General Assistance program through June 30.

Pregnant women in their third trimester or who will enter their third trimester between April 1 and June 30 are among those who qualify as “medically vulnerable.”

Scott’s executive order comes after weeks of squabbling between his administration and Democratic lawmakers about whether to extend emergency shelter services for all 1,439 households in the “Hotel-Motel” program until the end of June. Without additional funding, the program re-instates its summer weather 1,100 room, 80-day cap and begins exiting hundreds of Vermont households from hotels and motels on Monday.

“While I’ve been opposed to the Hotel-Motel program because it doesn’t serve those in the program well, I have also been clear that we have an obligation to protect children and Vermonters who are most vulnerable,” Scott said in a press release about on Friday afternoon. “This executive order does just that without unwinding the important progress we’ve made.”

Democrats, however, have argued that Vermont’s other “vulnerable” populations — including all pregnant women, veterans and victims of domestic violence — at risk of eviction this spring should be allowed to stay in the program for the next three months as well.

But Scott says Vermont needs to begin transitioning away from the “failed” hotel-motel program, which he has repeatedly criticized as both expensive for taxpayers and detrimental for clients. Scott has pointed to the 135 deaths that occurred between 2020 and 2024 in hotels and motels, lack of wrap around services for people struggling with substance use or mental illness and the housing of both “vulnerable and predatory populations” under the same roof as evidence for the program’s failure.

Additionally, Scott says he’s wants to conserve money in case the Trump administration pulls significant federal dollars from the state.

Republican senators backed Scott when they unanimously blocked Democrats’ attempt earlier on Friday to expedite a vote on the most recent version of this year’s budget adjustment act, which allocates “existing” money from the Department of Children and Families to extend emergency housing eligibility for every client through the summer. Scott is expected to veto the bill should the senate pass the budget adjustment act as it currently stands.

Where will exited hotel-motel clients go?

According to Beck, Scott’s administration is helping ensure available shelter at the following congregate shelters:

• Williston family shelter, which will continue to operate the rest of the year with help from a local provider assistance
• Waterbury family shelter, which will continue to provide shelter through mid-June to ensure stability for school children

Beck also the administration plans to expand “family shelter capacity with plans for permanent family shelters in Burlington, Rutland, Bennington, and Central Vermont,” extend and expand “Medical Respite capacity in the central Vermont and Chittenden County regions” and add an “an intensive recovery housing site for those who need an integrated model of housing and substance use treatment.”

Megan Stewart is a government accountability reporter for the Burlington Free Press. Contact her at mstewartyounger@gannett.com.