A Surge of Matching Grant Generosity
Now, the Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation has joined the surge with a new $200,000 challenge, encouraging the community to dig deep to close the campaign’s final funding gap. This generous commitment will directly fund the shelter’s renovation and aims to inspire the community to join in by matching the grant dollar-for-dollar, to bring a state-of-the-art shelter to life.
Tom Gauntlett, President of the Buffum Foundation Board, expressed the foundation’s deep commitment to long-term solutions that address the root causes of homelessness: “We’re inspired by the life-changing work COTS does every day, helping individuals and families not just survive, but move forward into permanent housing. We’re proud to support this campaign and hope this challenge will inspire others to help COTS cross the finish line.”
The new Waystation adult shelter marks a turning point in COTS’s mission to provide a more dignified, trauma-informed space for adults facing homelessness in Chittenden County.
A Bold Step Forward for the Community
COTS has long recognized the pressing need for a new Waystation to serve adults experiencing homelessness. For over 40 years, the Waystation has been a lifeline for many, but the aging facility no longer meets the needs of those it serves. The new location at 58 Pearl Street, a 7,361-square-foot property acquired by COTS in January 2025, offers roughly three times the space of the current shelter. This increase in capacity will allow COTS to expand its shelter services by 55%, providing up to 56 adults with safe, supportive shelter year-round.
The transformation of the Pearl Street building into a modern, trauma-informed shelter will have a profound impact on the community. Not only will it provide essential services like connection to community resources and housing navigation, but it will also offer guests the privacy, safety, and dignity they need to begin their journey toward permanent housing. The new shelter will feature:
- A warming kitchen to improve food access
- 14 bedrooms, each with space for up to 4 guests
- 6 private bathrooms with showers
- On-site laundry facilities
- A staff office, break space, and common areas
- A private meeting room for medical and support services
- Full ADA access throughout
The renovation, in partnership with Duncan*Wisniewski Architects and JA Morrissey Construction, will ensure that the shelter meets the highest standards of care, providing a supportive environment for individuals to rebuild their lives.
Community Impact: Meeting the Moment
The need for this new facility has never been greater. Over the past year, COTS has seen shelter spaces consistently filled, and significant barriers to housing have left many adults without safe places to stay. The 2024 fiscal year saw a staggering 286% increase in visitors to the COTS Daystation program, which provides daytime services to individuals experiencing homelessness. Many of these visitors—especially those from marginalized communities including LGBTQIA+ individuals, asylum seekers, and people with mental health challenges—are sleeping outside or in other precarious conditions.
COTS’s new Waystation will meet this growing need by providing a welcoming, accessible, and secure space for up to 56 adults who are currently without shelter. Guests will also have access to critical housing navigation services, helping them take the first steps toward stable, permanent housing.
Jonathan Farrell, Executive Director of COTS, expressed his gratitude and excitement for the project: “This project is about much more than bricks and mortar, it’s about dignity, hope, and a fresh start. Meeting this next $200,000 challenge will allow us to expand shelter, improve accessibility, and provide the wraparound services that empower people to rebuild their lives. We are so grateful to the Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation and to every donor who has helped us get to this point.”
A Community Rallying Together
The Campaign for a New Waystation has already raised significant funds, including $630,000 from the State of Vermont Office of Economic Opportunity and $600,000 from anonymous donors. The Hoehl Family Foundation’s $200,000 challenge grant and this new $200,000 challenge grant from the Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation bring the campaign within a stone's throw of its $2 million renovation goal.
Once completed, the new Waystation will open in December 2025, creating a transformative resource for Burlington’s most vulnerable populations. In 2026, COTS plans to convert its existing Waystation into permanent affordable housing, further expanding its impact in the community.
How You Can Help
The new Waystation is an urgent and necessary project. As community needs grow and barriers to housing increase, COTS’s vision for the new shelter will address immediate shelter needs while laying the foundation for long-term housing stability.
COTS is actively seeking additional donations to meet its renovation goal. Every dollar donated will help COTS provide safe, dignified shelter and housing navigation services to individuals in need, and thanks to the generous challenge from the Courtney and Victoria Buffum Family Foundation, every dollar donated will be matched.
Visit cotsonline.org/waystation-campaign
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