VermontBiz Today, Mayor Weinberger provided the following statement in response to the Scott Administration’s proposal to open a temporary, congregate shelter at 108 Cherry Street in Burlington:
“It is shocking that the State’s motel guests, Vermont cities, affected downtowns, schools, law enforcement officials, and service providers are being given hours to prepare for the opening of four huge temporary shelters around the state. For the good of the Burlington community and the hundreds of Vermonters who are about to lose a place in the motels, the City of Burlington is working hard to help the State implement their emergency shelter plan. We will always work hard to keep Vermonters sheltered.
However, let’s be clear, this decision and still incomplete plan belongs to Governor Scott. The state agencies in charge must ensure the basic needs of the shelter guests are met, that the facility is safe for guests and the public alike, and that Burlington’s nearby high school and Church Street Marketplace are not negatively impacted by shelter operations.
I have communicated my concern that this temporary shelter step will prove greatly inadequate. This strategy assumes that all guests will be able to find new shelter within a week – a projection that our recent experiences suggest is unrealistic in an era of extreme low vacancy rates and record unsheltered homelessness across Vermont.
It would be wholly unacceptable for the state to close this new facility and put dozens of new people on Burlington streets next week.
To do so would be to repeat the State’s terrible mistake of last summer in which 800 Vermonters lost their shelter on June 1, leaving vulnerable Vermonters, downtowns, and service providers to live with the consequences.”
Next Steps:
The City of Burlington was first notified of the opening of the emergency congregate shelter at 108 Cherry late in the day Tuesday, March 12. The Mayor and City leadership team were first briefed on the operational plan at noon today.
Mayor Weinberger has requested to the Agency of Human Services and Department of Public Safety the following accommodations:
- to continue the Adverse Weather Condition program through Sunday night;
- to open the new shelter past the holiday weekend, so that guests leaving the shelter can access local service agencies when they open to the public;
- daily updates about the shelter occupancy and operations;
- that the hours operation be 5pm to 8 am, following the model of the City’s successful winter warming shelter that coordinates with the operation of Burlington’s day shelter;
- that the City be allowed to review and give feedback on the operations plan for the shelter.
Background:
In June of last year, the Mayor advocated for a rational wind down of the motel program that included a plan to shelter vulnerable populations in the motels and connect those households to permanent housing through the Coordinated Entry System, and a proposal for a City run low-barrier shelter in the state-owned building located at 108 Cherry Street for the 800 unsheltered people the state evicted the prior month. That shelter proposal would have included:
- Overnight accommodation with adequate staffing and wrap around services for 50 adults
- A daytime shelter for up to 75 people
- Robust service connection and access to basic needs services and supplies
- Building renovations appropriate to ensure safety, hygiene, and semi-congregate sleeping arrangements.
The state denied funding of this proposed shelter, although the plan to maintain vulnerable households in motels and house them through coordinated entry was adopted into state law via Act 81, passed in the veto session in June 2023.
