A July 1 deadline continues to loom for hundreds of people who could soon be evicted from Vermont’s hotel-motel emergency voucher program. Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak expressed great concern this week. She said the city of Burlington is already seeing more unhoused people than ever before, and fears the impact of these evictions both on the people who will be left without a home and the city that many will likely turn to.”We’ve been disproportionately holding this crisis on behalf of the entire state, with a high number of people experiencing homelessness relocating to Burlington,” Mulvaney-Stanak said. The Burlington mayor said beds are already maxed out in shelters around the city. So now as the city works on temporary solutions, Mulvaney Stanak is calling on lawmakers to address the long-term challenges. “We do not have the kind of critical partnership and, most important, solutions on the state level that we’ve been calling for, for months now,” she said. “That is deeply disappointing that this ended with basically putting us back to where we started in the beginning of the legislative session.”One area of the city where unhoused people have already set up campsites is along the Burlington bike path, including a native Vermonter named Kiki.”I’m 52-years-old; this is not what I want to be doing at this stage of my life,” Kiki said.Kiki said she never imagined living outside, but that changed when her life took an unexpected turn. “My ex-boyfriend is in prison. I lost everything because of this person, not to say it was all on him,” Kiki said. Now, Kiki lives in a tent with a tentmate and four-legged friend, hidden in the trees along the Burlington bike path. “I went from having pretty much everything and not needing … to this,” she said. It’s been around three months since Kiki moved out of her car and into a tent. Everything she uses to set up her camp was donated from local shelters.”This space is nice because we have porta potties there, we have a trash right there, we have an exercise gym over there, we have the lake,” she said. Kiki said she tries to stay positive while surviving outside like dozens of other unhoused people throughout the Queen City. “There are some people out here that are not the nicest or the most honest individuals, and sometimes it’s kind of scary,” she said. “For the most part, there’s a great sense of community and camaraderie out here.”Yet, even on what she considers to be better days, Kiki said she never imagined she’d be living like this. However, now many more may be joining Kiki’s community in Burlington encampments. Mulvaney-Stanak said this next round of exits from the motel program “includes families with young children and includes people who are medically vulnerable.”Mulvaney-Stanak said the city is evaluating areas and rules for people to set up camps that won’t encroach on the community, and where they can park and stay in their cars overnight, but so far, no official solution has been reached. In the meantime, Kiki said she hopes sharing her experience, sends a message that behind every tent is a person. “We are looked down upon by the mass population, and the majority of us are really good people,” she said.
A July 1 deadline continues to loom for hundreds of people who could soon be evicted from Vermont’s hotel-motel emergency voucher program.
Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak expressed great concern this week. She said the city of Burlington is already seeing more unhoused people than ever before, and fears the impact of these evictions both on the people who will be left without a home and the city that many will likely turn to.
Advertisement
“We’ve been disproportionately holding this crisis on behalf of the entire state, with a high number of people experiencing homelessness relocating to Burlington,” Mulvaney-Stanak said.
The Burlington mayor said beds are already maxed out in shelters around the city. So now as the city works on temporary solutions, Mulvaney Stanak is calling on lawmakers to address the long-term challenges.
“We do not have the kind of critical partnership and, most important, solutions on the state level that we’ve been calling for, for months now,” she said. “That is deeply disappointing that this ended with basically putting us back to where we started in the beginning of the legislative session.”
One area of the city where unhoused people have already set up campsites is along the Burlington bike path, including a native Vermonter named Kiki.
“I’m 52-years-old; this is not what I want to be doing at this stage of my life,” Kiki said.
Kiki said she never imagined living outside, but that changed when her life took an unexpected turn.
“My ex-boyfriend is in prison. I lost everything because of this person, not to say it was all on him,” Kiki said.
Now, Kiki lives in a tent with a tentmate and four-legged friend, hidden in the trees along the Burlington bike path.
“I went from having pretty much everything and not needing … to this,” she said.
It’s been around three months since Kiki moved out of her car and into a tent. Everything she uses to set up her camp was donated from local shelters.
“This space is nice because we have porta potties there, we have a trash right there, we have an exercise gym over there, we have the lake,” she said.
Kiki said she tries to stay positive while surviving outside like dozens of other unhoused people throughout the Queen City.
“There are some people out here that are not the nicest or the most honest individuals, and sometimes it’s kind of scary,” she said. “For the most part, there’s a great sense of community and camaraderie out here.”
Yet, even on what she considers to be better days, Kiki said she never imagined she’d be living like this.
However, now many more may be joining Kiki’s community in Burlington encampments. Mulvaney-Stanak said this next round of exits from the motel program “includes families with young children and includes people who are medically vulnerable.”
Mulvaney-Stanak said the city is evaluating areas and rules for people to set up camps that won’t encroach on the community, and where they can park and stay in their cars overnight, but so far, no official solution has been reached.
In the meantime, Kiki said she hopes sharing her experience, sends a message that behind every tent is a person.
“We are looked down upon by the mass population, and the majority of us are really good people,” she said.
