Vermont is ending its pandemic-era motel voucher program, forcing hundreds of homeless residents to leave temporary accommodation.
On Thursday, around 230 households will be affected by a new 80-day limit imposed by the state Legislature in July. Those forced to leave include families, disabled individuals, pregnant women, and people who have experienced domestic violence or disasters including fires and floods.
A cap on the number of motel rooms available to house people during warmer months—now limited to 1,110 rooms—went into effect Sunday. Some households that have not yet used their 80-day limit are being turned away due to lack of space, advocates say.
Around 100 to 140 families in central Vermont, near Montpelier and Barre, will be leaving motels this fall. Statewide, approximately 1,000 households will be affected, said Jen Armbrister, outreach case manager for the Good Samaritan Haven in Barre.
With shelters full and housing options scarce, Vermont is grappling with a homelessness crisis. In 2023, the state had the second-highest rate of homelessness per capita in the U.S., according to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development report.
“I can’t tell you how many families I’ve sat down with and said I really pray that I would never have to have this conversation with you,” said Armbrister. She added that when there’s no housing available, the only option left is to offer a tent and sleeping bags, though there is nowhere nearby to camp.
Heidi Wright, right, who is experiencing homelessness and must leave her state-funded motel room by Sept. 28, 2024, talks to Jen Armbrister, an outreach case manager for the Good Samaritan Haven in Barre, Vt., on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024.
AP Photo/Lisa Rathke
Some households will be eligible for motel housing again starting December 1, as winter approaches, but many don’t know where they’ll live in the meantime.
Bruce Jewett, 63, a disabled veteran currently battling cancer, and his wife, Nova, must leave their room at the Hilltop Inn in Berlin on October 1. Bruce said he can’t camp outside due to a back injury, and despite their efforts, they haven’t found available housing. “It bothers me because I’m a veteran, and I don’t believe that veterans should be having to deal with this,” he said.
Heidi Wright, who suffers from seizures and emphysema, must leave the Budget Inn in Barre on September 28. “My hands are tied and I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she said.
Bruce and Nova Jewett, who are experiencing homelessness, sit at the Hilltop Inn in Berlin, Vt., on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, where they have been living and will have to leave by Oct. 1, 2024. Hundreds of the most vulnerable people experiencing homelessness in Vermont must leave state-funded motel rooms.
Lisa Rathke/AP
Advocates like Armbrister say the situation is becoming desperate. “There’s no solutions,” she said. “It’s really super sad. It’s traumatic.”
Municipal leaders from over a dozen Vermont cities and towns are calling on the state to address the rising rate of homelessness, saying local governments lack the resources to manage the crisis. “Our first responders cannot keep up with the calls,” said Montpelier City Manager William Fraser, adding that volunteers and nonprofit organizations are overwhelmed.
Governor Phil Scott acknowledged the difficulty but said the motel voucher program is unsustainable. The long-term solution, according to Scott, involves creating more shelters and housing. However, a severe housing shortage persists, with Vermont’s rental vacancy rate at just 3% statewide and only 1% in Chittenden County.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
