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Vermont judge approves temporary restraining order to prevent Hotel-Motel program evictions

most of northern New York by Thursday afternoon. AS WINTER WEATHER PERSISTS, HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ARE BEING REMOVED FROM VERMONT’S EMERGENCY HOUSING PROGRAM. ROUGHLY 290 HOUSEHOLDS ARE BEING EXITED THIS WEEK… AS THE PROGRAM, KNOWN AT “HOTEL-MOTEL” REVERTS TO ITS STANDARD FORMAT FOR THE SPRING AND SUMMER MONTHS. THAT ALSO MEANS THERE’S A STAY LIMIT AND ROOM CAP. THIS IS ALL HAPPENING AS LAWMAKERS IN MONTPELIER WERE UNABLE TO BEAT A BUDGET DEADLINE… AND OPPOSITION FROM THE GOVERNOR. NBC5’S YUNIER MARTINEZ HAS BEEN TALKING WITH SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THEIR NEXT MOVE. I spoke with people at two different Chittenden County hotels AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF THEIR 80 DAYS – about their next steps. 11;12;46;09 -11;12;53;12 <No Lower 3rd> <“You see a lot of comments that say like, oh, we’re just abusing the system and this and that. And it’s not like that for everybody.”> AS OF April 1st, nearly 300 households have been exited from Vermont’s STATE- FUNDED HOTEL ROOMS as the program returns to its default capacity. that means an 80 day limit on stays and a cap of eleven hundred rooms. Julie Whitney, South Burlington <“It’s scary because you don’t know where are you going to be.”> Exceptions have been made for families with kids and people with certain medical conditions. Still, JULIE WHITNEY, says the situation is 11;57;47;18 Julie Whitney, South Burlington <“My daughter’s trying to get that one form of paperwork done to hopefully from the doctors, for me to stay here because I can’t be outside. I can’t have my medicine outside.”> A guest in COLCHESTER IS NEARING THE END OF THEIR 80 DAYS AND SAYS SEEING OTHERS LEAVE ON TUESDAY WAS TERRIFYING. THEY FEAR WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN IT’S THEIR TURN TO LEAVE and they’re out of options. 11;15;28;05 – 11;15;49;07 <No Lower 3rd> <“My entire life fits in a hotel room, and I have nowhere to put it. Once I end up in a tent, I It’s not going to fit into a tent. I can’t afford storage or anything, and there’s no help for things like that. So there’s I, I don’t know. It’s a level of uncertainty that is awful.”> GOVERNOR PHIL SCOTT’S ADMINISTRATION BELIEVES the voucher program is not the BEST LONG-TERM USE OF STATE FUNDS TO ADDRESS HOMELESSNESS and failing the most vulnerable. 00;05;47;24 – Deputy Commissioner, Economic Services Division <“We are looking at still a couple hundred or probably several hundred households that will still be trying to obtain access. But the law still stands. It will have to be at 1100 rooms.”> IF YOU NEED IMMEDIATE ASSIST

Vermont judge approves temporary restraining order to prevent Hotel-Motel program evictions

A Vermont judge has granted a temporary restraining order that will require the Department of Children and Families to stop evicting people from motels via the Hotel-Motel Voucher Program for the time being.Top video: See previous coverageThe restraining order says that participants in the program cannot be evicted from motels without adequate notice for due process, according to Vermont Legal Aid, which filed a motion for the order.The program, formally known as the General Assistance Emergency Housing Program, reverted to its default structure on April 1, meaning an 80-day stay limit was reimposed and a cap of 1,100 rooms was earmarked for vulnerable individuals.That change caused nearly 300 households to be forced to leave their state-funded housing.The temporary restraining order will remain in effect until a hearing for preliminary injunction can be held, which is currently scheduled for May 16.

MONTPELIER, Vt. —

Top video: See previous coverage

The restraining order says that participants in the program cannot be evicted from motels without adequate notice for due process, according to Vermont Legal Aid, which filed a motion for the order.

The program, formally known as the General Assistance Emergency Housing Program, reverted to its default structure on April 1, meaning an 80-day stay limit was reimposed and a cap of 1,100 rooms was earmarked for vulnerable individuals.

That change caused nearly 300 households to be forced to leave their state-funded housing.

The temporary restraining order will remain in effect until a hearing for preliminary injunction can be held, which is currently scheduled for May 16.