The state of Vermont is working on standing up multiple emergency shelters for familiesthat have hit their 80-day cap in the Hotel-Motel Voucher Program, and now, Gov. Phil Scott is explaining why the shelters came to be.Scott discussed why state officials ultimately decided to build the shelters after a deal with the legislature caused the exiting of families from the program in September. He said the recent cold weather and the amount of kids getting caught in the middle of the seasonal winddown of the program ultimately played a role in their decision to take action. “Kids come first; they are the most vulnerable, they are caught in the middle of this situation,” said Scott. “Again, we didn’t know the magnitude of how many people… fall through the cracks so to speak.”Potential sites include the former Vermont State Police barracks in Williston, the Waterbury Armory and one in Montpelier that doesn’t have an exact location yet. Scott said they’re also looking in Rutland at a building owned by the Catholic Diocese, but there are major issues of figuring out how to staff these facilities, as some providers have not expressed interest in helping, and others have backed out. “That is the challenge we face with every community. It’s difficult to put up an emergency shelter anywhere,” he said. The town of Williston, where one of the sites will go barring staffing issues, said they’ve been in contact with the state for weeks. “We’re talking about helping our fellow Vermonters, folks who are unhoused, families who are unhoused entering the winter months. This week really spoke to how cold it’s been outside,” Erik Wells, the Town Manager said. It’s a different story in Waterbury, as local leadership told NBC5 Wednesday they learned from news reports Tuesday about the potential shelter and had not been informed or contacted by the state about the plans for the Armory. They said they acknowledge it’s a state building, but said creating a shelter there causes an issue because the armory zoning permit only allows for state employees and not third parties to operate the building. “Should they utilize a 3rd party vendor to directly operate the facility, a new zoning permit is required. The process to obtain a permit normally takes several months. This is a standard process many residents and business owners follow, and the law is clear that it also applies to the state,” said Tom Leitz, the Municipal Manager. This was also an issue back in March, when the state looked to stand up an emergency shelter there. “We previously outfitted the armory and heard that they were not going to let us move forward without a zoning permit, so it’s not a surprise,” Scott said in response. Leitz also said, “We do not believe it is burdensome, but because the State has not contacted the Town, we do not know how they intend to operate the facility.”In light of all the staffing issues heard Wednesday, the timeline for when these sites will open are still not clear. However, state officials said they are still hoping to open as soon as possible or by Nov. 1. Department for Children and Families Commissioner Chris Winters said Wednesday that the goal is for families that enter these shelters to also be able to stay throughout the winter months and not be sent back to rooms when adverse weather conditions begin.
The state of Vermont is working on standing up multiple emergency shelters for families
that have hit their 80-day cap in the Hotel-Motel Voucher Program, and now, Gov. Phil Scott is explaining why the shelters came to be.
Scott discussed why state officials ultimately decided to build the shelters after a deal with the legislature caused the exiting of families from the program in September. He said the recent cold weather and the amount of kids getting caught in the middle of the seasonal winddown of the program ultimately played a role in their decision to take action.
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“Kids come first; they are the most vulnerable, they are caught in the middle of this situation,” said Scott. “Again, we didn’t know the magnitude of how many people… [would] fall through the cracks so to speak.”
Potential sites include the former Vermont State Police barracks in Williston, the Waterbury Armory and one in Montpelier that doesn’t have an exact location yet.
Scott said they’re also looking in Rutland at a building owned by the Catholic Diocese, but there are major issues of figuring out how to staff these facilities, as some providers have not expressed interest in helping, and others have backed out.
“That is the challenge we face with every community. It’s difficult to put up an emergency shelter anywhere,” he said.
The town of Williston, where one of the sites will go barring staffing issues, said they’ve been in contact with the state for weeks.
“We’re talking about helping our fellow Vermonters, folks who are unhoused, families who are unhoused entering the winter months. This week really spoke to how cold it’s been outside,” Erik Wells, the Town Manager said.
It’s a different story in Waterbury, as local leadership told NBC5 Wednesday they learned from news reports Tuesday about the potential shelter and had not been informed or contacted by the state about the plans for the Armory.
They said they acknowledge it’s a state building, but said creating a shelter there causes an issue because the armory zoning permit only allows for state employees and not third parties to operate the building.
“Should they utilize a 3rd party vendor to directly operate the facility, a new zoning permit is required. The process to obtain a permit normally takes several months. This is a standard process many residents and business owners follow, and the law is clear that it also applies to the state,” said Tom Leitz, the Municipal Manager.
This was also an issue back in March, when the state looked to stand up an emergency shelter there.
“We previously outfitted the armory and heard that they were not going to let us move forward without a zoning permit, so it’s not a surprise,” Scott said in response.
Leitz also said, “We do not believe it is burdensome, but because the State has not contacted the Town, we do not know how they intend to operate the facility.”
In light of all the staffing issues heard Wednesday, the timeline for when these sites will open are still not clear. However, state officials said they are still hoping to open as soon as possible or by Nov. 1.
Department for Children and Families Commissioner Chris Winters said Wednesday that the goal is for families that enter these shelters to also be able to stay throughout the winter months and not be sent back to rooms when adverse weather conditions begin.
