Pending the signing of the Budget Adjustment Act, the nightly rate for the State’s General Assistance emergency housing program will be capped at $80 per night in partnering hotels and motels, the Scott administration said in a statement Friday.
Critics of the cap say some hotels and motels will refuse to rent to emergency housing program participants.
In preparation, the agencies of Administration and Human Services and the departments of Building and General Services (BGS) and Children and Families (DCF) have been working for weeks with the hotel and motels currently in the program to secure participation. The State has been able to secure agreement with enough hotel and motel owners to continue sheltering all those currently in rooms who continue to be eligible. More details can be found at the Department of Children and Families website.
Governor Phil Scott issued the following statement in response:
“This room rate cap is an important tool in our work to provide temporary, emergency shelter for our most vulnerable while moving to more permanent solutions. By reducing the cost we’re paying per room, we’ll be better able to fund this program as we work on other more effective solutions to permanently and safely shelter and house those in need.
“It’s important for program participants and Vermonters to understand that we’re continuing to wind down the pandemic-era approach, and there will continue to be changes to eligibility. This includes the annual shift in our Adverse Weather Conditions policy on March 15, which will make this policy weather dependent.
“This is going to continue to be a difficult transition, but we’re working to do it in a way that protects those with the greatest needs. Importantly, the expansion of this emergency housing program in recent years has not been the best approach to meeting the needs of unhoused individuals and the high cost is not sustainable for Vermonters. So, it’s critical for the Legislature to work with us on our proposals to make it less expensive, faster and easier to build housing and shelters. Restoring existing housing stock and creating new units is the only way to truly end homelessness in Vermont.