Vigils across the region remember Vermonters who lost their lives due to homelessness

MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Vigils took place across our region on Thursday to honor and remember unhoused Vermonters who died in the last year. Housing advocates say more needs to be done to address the rising issues of homelessness in Vermont.

Dozens of Vermonters gathered on the Statehouse lawn in solidarity with members of the homeless community to reflect on the lives lost and call for change.

Legislators I spoke with say addressing the homeless crisis in Vermont is a top priority for this legislative session.

There were moments of silent reflection and candlelight on the Statehouse lawn in Montpelier on Thursday.

“Every life is sacred and everyone deserves the dignity of a warm home and safety and the remembrance of a life well-lived,” said Sue Minter, the executive director of Capstone Community Action.

The vigil was held on what is known as the longest night of the year by Capstone Community Action. Minter says more must be done at the Statehouse to make sure needs are met.

“We consider this a housing emergency. We think we need more housing of every type, particularly affordable housing and emergency shelter that is humane and addressing the acute needs of people who lack housing now,” she said.

By April, nearly 700 Vermont households living in government-subsidized hotel rooms will have to check out according to the Vermont Department for Children and Families.

Right now, the agency says it’s serving more than 1,500 households through temporary shelter.

Since the first group of voucher recipients were kicked out earlier this summer, officials have been searching for alternatives to the hotel-motel program, which they say is no longer sustainable.

“That really needs to be our focus– for people to move out of unsheltered homelessness or out of the hotel program, we need to have units for people to move into… And there needs to be a range. Some of them need to be affordable because we’re housing a lot of people on fixed incomes, so they need to have something that they can afford,” said Miranda Gray of the Vt. Department for Children and Families.

Homelessness is among the top priorities for lawmakers this coming session.

Rep. Theresa Wood chairs the House Committee on Human Services. She says decades of underfunding for housing and the pandemic have created adverse challenges, and solutions won’t happen overnight.

“It’s not going to be a one-session solution that is going to fix everything. It will take resources that span several years. And it will take private and public partnerships to accomplish what we need to accomplish,” said Wood, D-Washington.

Wood says the focus will also need to be on finding solutions to the root causes of homelessness.

On day one of the session she says her committee will focus on understanding the importance of supportive services that people need, like substance use and mental health treatment.

Related Story:

Seeking shelter: The challenges of being homeless for the holidays

Copyright 2023 WCAX. All rights reserved.