by Guy Page
In a newsletter published today, Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger said the city plans to make homelessness ‘rare and brief.’ He also provides a stark assessment of homelessness and drug abuse in the Queen City.
Homelessness: The number of ‘chronically homeless’ people in Burlington has risen from 35 in 2018 to 245 at present – thanks in large part to the pandemic, Weinberger said.
Burlington must continue to create more housing and provide more services to keep potentially homeless people housed, Weinberger said.
Drug abuse: Opioid deaths, down 50% in 2018, are at record high levels now – thanks again to the pandemic, Weinberger said. Withdrawal symptoms for fentanyl are worse than other drugs. There is no science-based treatment for meth addiction.
The loss of 18 officers has severely limited the Burlington Police Department’s ability to fight drug crime.
Vermont’s highly-acclaimed hub and spoke substance abuse treatment system isn’t working. “It is clear to me that the problem with drug misuse in Vermont is evolving for the worse.”
Weinberger’s newsletter proposes solutions, some of which are already in the works. He also addresses mental illness and gun-related violence. To read the entire newsletter, click here.