{"id":4610,"date":"2026-04-01T14:43:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T14:43:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/live-awp-vermont.pantheonsite.io\/?post_type=press_release&p=4610"},"modified":"2026-04-01T14:45:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T14:45:17","slug":"page","status":"publish","type":"press_release","link":"https:\/\/www.acluvt.org\/press-releases\/page\/","title":{"rendered":"Vermont Advocates Urge Governor Scott to Take Immediate Action to Address Mass Unsheltering"},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":""},"class_list":["post-4610","press_release","type-press_release","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"subheading":"Hundreds of Vermonters will be pushed out of the state\u2019s emergency housing program in the coming days, all of whom the state has vetted and deemed to be \u201cvulnerable\u201d in some way.","date_and_time":"2026-04-01 10:00:00","featured_image":null,"components":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":{"text":"Yesterday, advocates, business leaders, and shelter and service providers from across Vermont hosted a press conference calling for urgent action from the Governor to address the loss of emergency shelter for Vermont\u2019s most vulnerable unhoused residents in the coming days.\r\n\r\nThe end of the General Assistance (GA) Emergency Housing Program\u2019s winter weather protections on March 31 will leave hundreds of vulnerable Vermonters without shelter, exacerbating a crisis that is already at a breaking point<\/a>. Advocates call on the Governor to take immediate steps to ensure safe, accessible, and non-congregate emergency shelter for the state\u2019s most vulnerable residents. These include seniors, families with children, people with disabilities, and those fleeing domestic violence.\r\n\r\n\u201cToday, our fellow Vermonters are being sent to live outside,\u201d said Brenda Siegel, Executive Director of End Homelessness Vermont<\/b>. \u201cThis includes people on oxygen, people in wheelchairs, and people who have late-stage cancer. It includes people who have extremely complex needs. This is aging Vermonters and Veterans. This includes hundreds of children, sent to live outside for the rest of the school year. These are the same people that last year the Governor said that we must protect. Yet, here we are. This is a policy choice that leaves our neighbors and community members with nowhere to go and to suffer the most catastrophic of consequences.\"\r\n\r\nAs the 80-day and 1,100-night caps on the GA program are reinstated, the state\u2019s shelter system is already at capacity. Last year, Governor Scott\u2019s Executive Order No. 03-25 at least allowed a narrowly defined group of vulnerable unhoused Vermonters to stay sheltered. This year, no action has been taken to protect shelter access for Vermont\u2019s most vulnerable unhoused neighbors.\r\n\r\n\u201cHere we are again. We are choosing to exit people onto our streets into a world where there is not enough housing or support,\u201d said Ken Russell, Executive Director of Another Way<\/b>. \u201cWe are exiting our most vulnerable people, folks with hopes and dreams, folks with acute medical needs, folks with families, folks who need food, clothing, and shelter. Here at Another Way, we help people who have fallen through the cracks; once again, these cracks are made by policies made in this seat of government. Our state can and must do better.\u201d\r\n\r\nWith finding affordable and safe housing becoming an increasing problem even for Vermonters with wealth, expert analysis confirms that the underlying cause of Vermont's housing crisis is the severe shortage of homes affordable to low-income residents<\/a>. Evidence-based solutions rooted in a comprehensive, statewide strategy could include investing in the construction of permanent affordable housing, rehabilitating existing properties, and expanding rental assistance programs.\r\n\r\nStated Chad Simmons, Executive Director of the Housing and Homelessness Alliance of Vermont<\/b>, \"Everybody deserves to live in an affordable, safe home. At this moment, there simply are not enough homes for people across Vermont. It is the responsibility of the state to ensure that people are safe and sheltered. We urge the Governor to use all the resources of state government to keep people sheltered until permanent housing can be found and to prevent more suffering from occurring.\"\r\n\r\nFor decades, the GA Program has been a critical lifeline for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, providing them with access to emergency housing during times of crisis. The program has kept people housed for periods of time despite the sheer lack of affordable housing in the state, but the current budget proposal would continue to impose maximum night and room caps, threatening the well-being of the most vulnerable residents of Vermont.\r\n\r\n\u201cPeople in wheelchairs, people with toddlers to keep safe, people receiving cancer treatment, elders with diminished strength and ability\u2014these are the people who will be turned out on the street with no options for shelter or housing on April 1st\" said Rev. Beth Ann Maier, deacon at Christ Episcopal Church in Montpelier<\/b>. \u201cHave we lost all sense of collective compassion and mutual care?\u201d\r\n\r\nAs Vermont continues to deal with an ongoing housing shortage, the need for emergency housing has only grown. Reducing or capping available funding would put thousands of people at risk of living on the streets, in cars, or in unsafe and overcrowded conditions.\r\n\r\n\u201cPeople are being pushed out the door into a rental market that has no room for them and shelters that are already full. The Governor has no plan for where people should go,\u201d said Maryellen Griffin, Staff Attorney with Vermont Legal Aid<\/b>.\r\n\r\nAdded Laura Cushman, Staff Attorney with Disability Rights Vermont: <\/b>\u201cHousing stability is essential for people with disabilities, and for our system of care. Without housing, people with disabilities run a greater risk of reliance on emergency services, worsening health outcomes, and of institutionalization, all of which come at a much greater cost to our community than simply keeping people housed.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cThe data is clear: Nationally, 38% of domestic violence survivors will experience homelessness in their lifetime, and 92% of women experiencing homelessness have a history of physical or sexual abuse. This instability ripples outward, affecting their children and entire family. In fact, domestic violence is one of the leading causes of childhood homelessness in the U.S. Ending hotel and motel access abruptly doesn't just disrupt lives; it creates a vacuum of safety,\u201d said Katarina Lisaius, Advocacy and Organizing Manager, VT Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence<\/b>.\r\n\r\n\u201cVermont Businesses for Social Responsibility urges Governor Scott to support funding programs to shelter unhoused Vermonters and financing housing initiatives to address the ongoing housing crisis by building the 40,000 housing units that Vermont needs by 2030\u2014not only to provide for our most vulnerable but to invest in the long-term health and prosperity of Vermont\u2019s economy. Housing Vermonters is the right thing to do and is fundamental to our state\u2019s businesses and economic success,\u201d said VBSR Public Policy Manager Johanna de Graffenreid<\/b>.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen programs that provide life-saving services are continually subjected to arbitrary limitations in order to meet an arbitrary bottom line\u2014despite costing our communities more and being completely out of step with the actual needs of our communities\u2014the people they serve become political bargaining chips and suffer in the process,\u201d said Alex Karambelas, Policy Advocate at the ACLU of Vermont<\/b>. \u201cThe people of Vermont broadly agree that we need humane, long-term solutions to the state\u2019s housing crisis\u2014and continued shelter for those most vulnerable in the meantime.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe ACLU is interested in hearing from people who are currently in the GA program or who were recently unsheltered. Please contact Jessica Radbord at 802-251-6554.\r\n\r\nAn audio recording of the press conference is available here<\/a>."}}],"use_default_media_contact":true,"name":"","email":"","phone":"","address":{"address_1":"","address_2":"","city":"","state":"","zip_code":"","country":"United States"},"pgp_public_key":"","spokesperson":null,"related_content":null,"issues":null,"toggle-pdf":true,"documents":null},"yoast_head":"\nVermont Advocates Urge Governor Scott to Take Immediate Action to Address Mass Unsheltering - ACLU of Vermont<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/live-awp-vermont.pantheonsite.io\/press-releases\/page\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Vermont Advocates Urge Governor Scott to Take Immediate Action to Address Mass Unsheltering - 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