This crisis is solvable. But state leaders’ proclivity for short-term, wasteful solutions, hinders effective and lasting change.

by Kolby LaMarche

In June of 2023, a state-sanctioned mass eviction displaced hundreds of homeless Vermont families from their shelters as funds for the COVID-era “General Assistance” motel voucher program dried up.

The transition post-eviction lacked proper care and state leaders, belatedly recognizing the issue, resorted yet again to a hasty and expensive band-aid for an escalating homelessness crisis.

A game of political hot-potato ensued, with Vermont’s Democratic supermajority targeting blame toward Republican Governor Phil Scott, citing a planning failure in his administration.

House Democratic leadership, initially, planned a budget excluding provisions for those homeless Vermonters being evicted. Though, due to a handful of upset legislators, a last-minute agreement extended the program for select Vermonters and their families.

The voucher extension plan accommodated 1,283 Vermonters, but with stricter regulations. 

Participants must contribute 30% of their income toward motel shelter costs and refusal of any housing offer, even inhumane, unsafe, and unhealthy congregate shelters, results in an immediate loss of eligibility.

The extended scheme faces imminent end in three months, yet there is still no viable plan in place, again. 

Vermont has one of the highest rates of homelessness in the nation, beating even California.

Upon eviction, the prospects for those over a thousand Vermonters using the program currently to secure support are grim. Access to housing, treatment centers, shelters, and housing assistance has plummeted to unprecedented lows, exacerbated by lengthy waitlists spanning several years.

In this year’s legislative session, housing has, obviously, taken center stage in the minds of lawmakers. However, as I cautioned in an earlier piece, it is doubtful that poor and low-income, and especially homeless, Vermonters will see any significant change or receive adequate support. 

Well, this week, Governor Scott, along with a tri-partisan group of lawmakers, introduced H.719, a proposal that includes amendments to Act 250, Vermont’s Land Use and Development Act. These changes aim to stimulate and promote additional private, market-rate development, resembling projects such as Burlington’s City Place or those in more affluent suburbs.

Most important in my view, however, is the tri-partisan group’s efforts to tackle Vermont’s severe shortage of affordable housing. 

Essentially, the state’s sole solution to the affordable housing crisis is to motivate developers to repurpose hotels and motels, with average rooms of just 300 square feet, into units designated for affordable housing.  

Instead of solely relying on the private market to solve the housing and homelessness crisis, or throwing poor and low-income people into, essentially, dog kennels, the state’s approach should have been two-fold:

1. Simplify bureaucratic processes and overhaul Act 250 to promote private development statewide, providing abundant market-rate housing for those with the means, while fostering diversity and competition in the housing market.
2. Take unprecedented steps to purchase, weatherize, and renovate vacant properties, such as Burlington’s abandoned Memorial Auditorium, statewide. Establish a network of state-facilitated and cost-effective social housing with the potential to breathe new life into declining downtown areas and Main Streets across Vermont, providing homeless Vermonters with a genuine and stable hand-up.

Vermonters need to know that this crisis is not going to end any time soon; the housing crisis in the state is projected to persist for years, if not a couple of decades, to come. 

Since 2016, Vermont has allocated well over half a billion dollars in the battle against homelessness. Moreover, since the onset of COVID, the state has been dedicating upwards of $2 million a week solely to cover hotel room expenses.

Our state persistently channels millions of precious tax dollars into anti-homelessness schemes that consistently fall short of delivering tangible results. Each legislative session seems to be an alarming repetition of poor decisions and financial waste.

This crisis is solvable. But state leaders’ proclivity for short-term, wasteful solutions, among other things, completely hinders the implementation of effective and lasting change.

Burning Sky is dedicated to providing critique and commentary on the issues of the day from an unapologetic perspective, fueling change in the heart of Vermont. Authored by Kolby LaMarche every Saturday.