by VDC Staff
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott wants to redirect state money from Burlington’s long-delayed overdose prevention center toward a 100-bed homeless shelter instead, WCAX reports.
Speaking at a media availability in Rutland on Wednesday, Scott pointed to the proposed supervised-use facility—often called a safe injection or overdose prevention center—as stuck in limbo. “That seems to be limping along,” he said. “I would take the money that’s been appropriated to that and put it toward the emergency shelter and work toward that if that’s the higher priority—which I think it is.”
City leaders and downtown businesses have been pressing for a low-barrier, year-round shelter for chronically homeless people as cold weather approaches. Scott has previously called a single large congregate shelter a bad idea and preferred spreading smaller facilities across Chittenden County. He still holds that view but says he won’t stand in the way if Burlington can secure a site and staff. His administration is also exploring a few smaller shelters in the county.
The overdose prevention center, authorized under a 2024 law passed over Scott’s veto and funded with opioid settlement dollars, remains unopened more than two years later. The pilot would let people use drugs under medical supervision while connecting them to treatment, housing, and other services. Millions have been allocated (roughly $2.2 million earlier plus additional funding), some of it already spent on planning, but site selection has repeatedly stalled. Officials recently signed a non-binding letter of intent on a possible building, yet the location stays undisclosed and the center is still not operational.
No formal press release from the governor’s office appears to have been issued on this specific funding shift; the comments came during the Rutland media availability. Scott’s suggestion frames the choice as one of urgency: winter is coming, street homelessness and downtown disorder remain acute, and the overdose center has yet to deliver results. Whether lawmakers or the city will shift the money remains to be seen.