The nightly pricetag for the state’s four temporary shelters – all but unused except for Burlington’s – is $50,000 per night, Jason Maulucci, press secretary for Gov. Phil Scott, told VDC this morning.
A press report in VTDigger noted that the cost of keeping the 458 families booted out of the ‘homeless hotel’ program would have been about $36K per night. But Maulucci called that “an apples-to-oranges comparison to the cost of keeping all the clients in the hotels, because many were no longer eligible with the end of the adverse weather conditions exemption. Able bodied, working age single clients have always nto been eligible once AWC [Adverse Weather Conditions] ends.”
The homeless hotel-to-temporary-shelter physical segue seems to have had one outcome desired by the Scott administration: providing safe, humane living conditions for those without options, while prompting those with options to move on from staying in hotel rooms at state expense.
Figures for temporary shelter stays this past weekend – during which more than 10 inches of snow fell – are not yet available. About 34 people stayed at the 108 Cherry Street temporary shelter in Burlington the previous weekend. Stays at the Berlin, Brattleboro and Rutland shelters could be counted on one hand.
Get ready for Mud Season #5 – And just like that …… from mud season #4 to winter wonderland in one day.
Close to 2 feet of snow fell in some spots as a spring snowstorm lingered on Saturday. Better late than never for some. For others, nature’s cruel sense of humor given the storm arrived two days after the vernal equinox.
Some 20 inches fell in Fairlee.
While we received snow, thousands of homes and businesses to the south lost power due to the storm. Enjoy the snow while it lasts. Mud season #5 is just around the bend. – Journal-Opinion